


The Fortuneteller and the Fire Prince

by JasmineTeaLatte



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Aunt Wu has seen this film before and she didn’t like the ending, Episode: s01e15 Bato of the Water Tribe, Episode: s03e19 Sozin's Comet Part 2 The Old Masters, Eventual Katara/Zuko (Avatar), F/M, Inspired By Tumblr, Mutual Pining, Reincarnation, Screw Destiny, The Last Agni Kai (Avatar), Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28112397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasmineTeaLatte/pseuds/JasmineTeaLatte
Summary: When a bounty hunter's shirshu is injured just outside of Makapu Village, the local fortuneteller finds herself playing host to a disgruntled Fire Prince and his companions. However, he's not entirely sure if he's ready to hear her visions of his future, especially when she makes a startling prediction regarding the woman he'll marry someday...
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 149
Kudos: 437





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was completely inspired by a random thread on Tumblr that wondered what would happen if Zuko visited Aunt Wu and heard about his future wife, and once I saw that post I knew I *had* to write it out. Enjoy!

As the longtime fortuneteller of Makapu Village, Aunt Wu had hosted many fascinating clients over the years.

She had been visited by warriors wishing to know the outcome of their battles, by leaders wanting to know the best course of action to take, and by giggling girls and women who desired to know about the men they would wed.

Occasionally she received male customers asking about their future brides too, but those were far less commonplace.

While she had never actually told any of her customers the exact name of the person they were destined to marry, she came quite close one day the year of Sozin’s Comet, before winter’s chill had completely thawed from the earth.

She awoke that morning with a strange sense of foreboding – not necessarily of doom, mind you, more like something momentous was on the horizon.

However, she opted to keep her lips sealed on the matter until sometime after lunch.

“Meng,” she called out as her young assistant helped clear the dirty plates away, “three unusual travelers will be stopping by later today. Be a dear and prepare some tea cakes for them, won’t you?”

The girl’s eyes widened as she nodded, no doubt remembering that nice young Avatar who she’d developed quite the crush on.

“I’m afraid it’s not who you’re hoping for,” Aunt Wu said gently. “But I see that these three will encounter Aang and his companions very soon… and the fate of one of our new guests seems to be bound to theirs in more ways than one.”

She shook her head mysteriously as Meng started pestering her with more questions. Some things were better left unknown until the opportune moment presented itself.

After all, what was greater than discovering the answers to life’s curiosities?

~*~*~

Sure enough, that afternoon the village was visited by three unusual companions, four if you included the large, lumbering beast that trailed behind them, walking with a limp.

Aunt Wu raised her eyebrow in interest as she watched them walk down the street towards her building.

So these were her guests she’d been expecting.

How utterly fascinating.

As their entourage grew closer, she began to hear bits of their conversation as well. While she knew that they would pay her a visit once they reached her doorstep, the details behind their presence in the village were still somewhat of a mystery.

“I can’t believe this. What kind of stupid animal lets itself get injured like that? I thought you were supposed to be a professional!” the youngest bemoaned, addressing the woman in all black guiding the creature.

The third companion turned to the young man and shook his head in disapproval. Now _he_ was quite handsome with his gray hair and kind features, Aunt Wu had to admit.

“Nephew, is that any way to speak to a lady?” he admonished, and the nephew in question gritted his teeth.

The older man then turned to their female companion with a disarming smile.

“Please forgive him, my dear June. My nephew forgets his manners sometimes.” 

The woman known as June just scoffed.

“Don’t know who you’re calling a _lady_ , grandpa, because I’ve never been one,” she replied, patting the creature’s head comfortingly. “Anyways, Prince Pouty, sometimes rockslides happen and mounts lose their footing in the process. It’s just bad luck, but Nyla should be good as new this time tomorrow with a night’s rest.”

So her visitors were a prince, his uncle, and the mysterious not-a-lady in black with her injured pet that sniffed the pathway ahead of them with no small amount of excitement.

Interesting.

The three paused when they reached her doorway, just as Aunt Wu predicted they would, and the creature named Nyla practically whined with excitement once they stopped. 

The fortuneteller could practically see all of the possible destinies that whirled like a raging storm around the youngest of the trio, the angry prince bearing a harsh scar over his left eye.

Her foresight whispered that he could bring about peace or war, harmony or bloodshed, love or bitter hatred for generations to come.

The last time she had a client with such potential for greatness or ruin was the Avatar himself, and this young man’s fate was undoubtedly tied with that of the last airbender’s… and perhaps one of his friends as well.

Maybe it was even the young woman they were tracking?

That particular detail remained to be seen, however, and she would know upon further examination.

“Why are we stopping?” the prince growled. “What’s your animal doing?”

“The girl must have spent a lot of time here,” June replied, patting Nyla’s head soothingly as she crooned. “Good boy, who’s my little snuffly-wuffly?”

Aunt Wu stifled a cheeky grin.

So they _were_ tracking the Avatar’s female companion, then, and this girl must be of some great importance if the Fire Prince himself was seeking her out.

Wasn’t destiny a funny thing?

The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully as he examined the sign above the doorway. The fortuneteller detected a gleam in his shrewd amber eyes, and he discreetly flashed her a Pai Sho tile from his sleeve that matched the necklace she wore.

Ah, she thought to herself as she bowed her head in acknowledgement. No wonder their paths were destined to cross today.

“Care to hear you fortune, handsome?” she asked, lightly curtsying.

The old man tilted his head to the side with a friendly smile.

“At my age, there's really only one big surprise left, and I'd just as soon leave it a mystery...” he demurred.

Then he clapped his hand loudly against the prince’s shoulder, all but shoving him forward.

“...but my nephew here is quite interested in having his fortune told!” he continued as his face suddenly split into a wide grin.

Aunt Wu brought her sleeves up to hide her own smirk as the prince spun around and glared at his traitorous relative, sputtering protests as the air around him grew hotter.

“Uncle, have you lost your mind? Absolutely not! I don’t want to hear a crock of lies from this old bat!”

He started to storm off, grumbling about wasting time, and Aunt Wu exchanged a conspiratorial smirk with his uncle.

“You’re seeking the Avatar, are you not?” she called out, noting the way he stopped dead in his tracks. “Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?”

~*~*~

He inhaled sharply, squaring his shoulders before he whipped his head around in her direction. The prince then spun on his heel and stomped over until he was glaring down at her.

 _Hooked like a fish on a line_ , the fortuneteller mused in satisfaction.

“Just what do you know about the Avatar?” he demanded. “Did he tell you where he was going?”

Aunt Wu smiled politely.

“I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the young airbender, but for a price,” she murmured.

He rolled his eyes and started digging around in his pockets for spare coins, but she held up her hand.

“No, Prince Zuko, my information will not cost you money,” she explained. “Rather, allow me to tell you your fortune, and in return I will tell you about your destiny with the Avatar.”

Her bargain clearly caught him off-guard, and he seemed taken aback by the offer. She could see him debating internally before he nodded curtly.

She gave him her best smile and held her arm out, gesturing indoors.

“Please make yourself comfortable inside, Meng will provide refreshments while I set up.”

He rolled his eyes in response and started to follow her into the building but stopped when he realized his companions hung back.

“Uncle?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “Aren’t you coming?”

The old man shook his head with a smile that bordered on a smirk.

“Oh, I think not,” he said calmly. “I believe I should help Miss June find a healer for her injured shirshu.”

The prince wheeled around and exhaled twin flames from his nostrils, while the woman known as June grinned cheekily.

“What?!”

“There’s an excellent healer the next street over,” Aunt Wu interjected. “He specializes in healing all types of animals both domestic and exotic. Tell him I sent you, and he will give you a discount.”

The old man bowed politely.

“Thank you, my dear,” he said, winking at the fortuneteller before he set off down the road. “We will swing by later to pick up my nephew once the animal has been attended to.”

“Uncle, you can’t do this, don’t you dare leave me-”

Her client’s scowl deepened into a look of pure hatred as his uncle cheerily ignored his threats and waved him off nonchalantly.

The prince’s fists clenched at his sides, and smoke trickled out through the cracks between his fingers.

Before he could storm off or escape, however, Aunt Wu caught him by the shoulder and gently yet firmly shoved him inside.

~*~*~

For a member of royalty, the prince’s manners were admittedly rather abysmal, and he crossed his arms the moment he realized that he was utterly trapped into this bargain.

When Meng offered him a snack or a drink, he snarled so fiercely that he exhaled flames once more.

The girl let out a shriek before she put her hands on her hips, scoffing.

“You’re a prince?” she asked in disbelief. “You’re not a very nice one.”

“Shut up.”

“Where’s your crown? I thought royalty wore crowns.”

“You’re too nosy for your own good, you little brat.”

She sniffed.

“If Aang were here, he’d tell you off for being so mean.”

The prince’s eyes narrowed.

“So the Avatar _did_ pass through here, then?”

Meng nodded.

“Him and that floozy he’s in love with and her brother.”

With that, the girl whisked herself away from the entirely disagreeable customer, mumbling about how rude their clientele was while said guest just snorted in derision.

Minutes later, Aunt Wu opened the door and poked her head out.

“Are you ready to hear your fortune now, Prince Zuko?” she called out.

He groaned and rolled his eyes.

“Let’s get this stupid thing over with,” he mumbled, rising to his feet, reminiscent of another disgruntled teen boy who also didn’t believe in fortunetellers.

~*~*~

Prince Zuko eyed her warily as he watched the older woman through the flames, folding his arms again, almost defensively this time.

She gestured to a small urn of bones and encouraged him to pick one and throw it into the fire.

As he made his selection she explained how the heat made the bones crack, which she used to read destinies, and that this was her most reliant method of fortunetelling. 

He didn’t seem particularly convinced, however. Once he sat cross-legged on the mat he rested his cheek in the palm of his hand, not even bothering to hide his boredom while she peered into the embers.

“Curious,” she mumbled to herself, and he sighed. “I see two different sets of destinies intertwined, Prince Zuko. I see twin souls finally uniting, yet there are two separate outcomes for you.”

“Of course you do,” he groused, wiping his hand down his face.

She poked at one of the bones and it splintered even further, sparks wedging themselves up through the cracks and floating away into the air.

Aunt Wu raised her eyebrow.

So the prince’s fate _was_ directly tied to the girl’s after all, even more so than the Avatar’s.

While her vision of the waterbender’s future husband had been shrouded in a fog, she had seen the shape of a man wielding fire as ferociously as a dragon amidst the shadows, the sky as scarlet as blood as he defended her from blue flames.

Now, the figure was becoming clearer through the mists of time, and its younger counterpart sat before her, suppressing groans of disdain.

 _Fascinating_.

“I see a battle of good and evil at war inside of you,” she continued, “a legacy sustained, a crown prince restoring balance, friendships and allies who will help you usher in an era of peace and love under your reign as Fire Lord…”

At this he straightened his spine and eyed her intently, his mouth opening slightly.

“Yet I also see you ruling surrounded by opulence, revered by your most loyal subjects even as blood runs through the streets of the capital. I see slain soldiers and their weeping widows cursing your name, a golden crown weighing heavily atop your head.”

She glanced up at him and noted that he seemed to be debating something internally. The prince finally tilted his head and pursed his lips.

“You’re bluffing, aren’t you? For all I know, you could be making all of this nonsense up.”

Aunt Wu smiled serenely.

“Unlike your sister Princess Azula, I never lie,” she replied. “Nor do I attempt to feed turtleducks her way either, by hurling pieces of bread at them while they swim in the pond of your mother’s garden.”

His brows furrowed.

“How do you-”

“I know many things, Prince Zuko, especially what Lady Ursa told you shortly after you were attacked by an angry mother turtleduck. If you mess with her babies, she’ll bite back.”

His jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock. There was only one other person who would know about that particular conversation besides himself, and the revelation shook him to the core.

“My mother, how did you…” he began feebly before the fortuneteller interrupted.

“I also know of the night you rescued the Avatar from the clutches of Admiral Zhao not too long ago, wearing the mask of the Dark Water spirit from the Southern Water Tribe. You were at war with yourself for some time once you found out he’d been captured, and you debated beforehand whether or not your actions were classified as treasonous given your mission to capture the Avatar.

“I know that you cradled your head in your hands while alone in your room aboard your ship, and you even shed a few tears in frustration. Eventually you chose to free the Avatar from the fortress, even though the risk was great. After all, your honor, your throne, and your country hung in the balance.”

He gawked at her now, shaking from anger and maybe even fear. No one else had witnessed his internal struggle, least of all his brief meltdown.

“Who _are_ you?” he hissed, rising to his feet. “How can you possibly know about these things?”

Aunt Wu held up her palms.

“I am a fortuneteller, your highness, and I see more than what I let on,” she answered calmly. “However, I can also see that I’ve upset you. Perhaps I should tell you something far less troubling to ease your mind… have you ever wondered about the woman you will one day marry?”

He glared down at her, his mouth twitching.

“What makes you so sure I’ll ever get married?” he asked, and to the untrained eye he seemed disinterested, although she could pinpoint the self-loathing in his voice. “It’s not like I have crowds of potential suitors swooning over me. No one wants a disfigured prince with no honor.”

She shook her head and smiled.

“I wouldn’t be so certain, Prince Zuko. You might be surprised to find that honor is something you earn for yourself by choosing to do the right thing.”

He scoffed and folded his arms, eyeing the floor.

Aunt Wu shrugged.

“Regardless, I see a legendary romance for you… but only if you choose a certain path.”

The prince frowned at this and tilted his head.

“What if I choose a different path?”

“Oh, I still see a marriage for you, and for a time you both will be happy in all of your riches… but ultimately, neither of you will be truly satisfied at the end. This marriage of convenience would indeed be the safer option, and you will meet no resistance if you choose to wed the woman from this path.”

He mulled this over, intrigued despite himself, and he sat back down on the mat before her.

“But the other woman… the one with the great romance… why couldn’t I marry her regardless of the path I choose?”

The fortuneteller closed her eyes.

“Unfortunately that I cannot say, as the road to that outcome is still murky, as is the other path.”

Prince Zuko considered this in silence before he spoke again.

“Just one more question, then you’re going to tell me everything I want to know about the Avatar.”

“As you wish.”

He hesitated and swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Let’s say I choose this other path, and I do marry this particular woman… you said it’s going to be legendary?”

She nodded sagely.

“Your love for one another will inspire poets for generations. She will be your equal in every way, and she will love you just as fiercely as you love her. This woman will inspire you to greatness, and you will rise victorious from the ashes with her by your side.”

He didn’t seem convinced that anyone could actually love him, and he let out a sigh of despondency. Still, curiosity got the better of him.

“What’s she like?” he asked, fidgeting with a familiar blue necklace wrapped around his wrist to distract himself from his pounding heart. “Is she pretty? Is she clever? Is she strong?”

“She is kind to those less fortunate yet ferocious when the need arises, and she smites the cruel with the same hand that comforts the downtrodden. She is loved by all who meet her, and she will capture your heart entirely.”

The fortuneteller paused.

“To answer your other questions, she is indeed lovely to behold, and she will grow lovelier still. She is wise in many things and she will ultimately inspire you to become a better man.”

The prince let out a sigh.

“I don’t suppose you can tell me when I’m going to meet her, can you?” he asked, almost sounding shy. “That way I’ll know which path to take to end up with her.”

The fortuneteller smiled cryptically.

“I believe you have already encountered her before in your travels, but _she_ is not responsible for setting you on the correct path, nor is she a prize to be won if you choose that destiny,” Aunt Wu explained. “ _You_ alone are capable of deciding your own fate, and you will only win her heart and hand in marriage if you are willing to give up everything else you hold dear.”

He blinked a few times and looked down in defeat.

So far, he hadn’t met anyone he was willing to risk that much for – not even his sister’s friend, who he’d bashfully flirted with in the months before he was banished and harbored a crush on at one point.

But that was years ago, and for all he knew she had moved on to some other noble. He might never even see her again.

“Is there anything else I should know about her?” he asked quietly. “This woman I’m supposed to end up with?”

“Which one?” she countered. “Technically you will end up with either of them, although only one will be the love of your life.”

“ _That_ one,” he whispered. “The one I’ll want to sacrifice everything for.”

The fortuneteller smiled at him kindly.

“She is on her way to becoming a magnificent bender… and you will fall for her the day she leaves you breathless and awestruck by her power. On that day, she will hold your heart safely within her hands.”

He narrowed his eyes. That ruled out Mai then, he supposed, at least as far as being the love of his life.

The prince had met several female firebenders back in the Fire Nation before his banishment, and he briefly wondered if one of them could possibly be his soulmate.

He had also encountered various earthbenders but so far all of them had been men. That left only one other female bender that he knew of…

His head whipped upwards in astonishment, ignoring how the light from the fire reflected off the polished stone hanging from the necklace.

 _No_.

It couldn’t possibly be...

He gritted his teeth and balked at the thought. This old woman truly was mad if she believed he would ever fall for a lowborn peasant like _her_.

“She’s not some poor backwater savage, is she?” he asked, clenching his fists nervously.

The fortuneteller raised her eyebrow at his choice of words but informed him that his future bride was regarded as a princess amongst her people. He let out a sigh of relief, exhaling smoke.

At least that ruled out the Avatar’s waterbender, whose name he couldn’t even recall…

 _Katara_.

Wait. Why did he suddenly remember that, and why did a vision of her smiling face appear in his mind just then?

The prince then decided that they’d wasted enough talk on this foolishness – as if anyone would ever be able to look past his scar and actually _love_ him.

It was high time to redirect the subject back towards his main goal.

~*~*~

“As enlightening as that was, now you’re going to uphold your end of the bargain,” he grumbled. “Tell me the Avatar’s whereabouts and where he’ll be headed to next.”

But the old woman shook her head with a smile.

“I’m afraid I don’t know the answers to that,” she replied.

He stared at her openmouthed for a moment before he rose to his feet, and the fire blazed ferociously as he unleashed his fury.

“How dare you!” he roared. “You lying old-”

The door slid open, and his uncle frowned at him in disapproval as he poked his head inside.

“Nephew!” he scolded. “That’s quite enough! Remember your manners.”

The prince fumed as he stared down the fortuneteller.

“We had a deal,” he growled. “Tell me where the Avatar is headed _now_.”

She merely shook her head with a disarming smile that somehow infuriated him even more.

“On the contrary, your highness,” she purred. “I said I would foretell your destiny regarding the Avatar. I _never_ claimed to know his location.”

The Fire Prince was shaking now, trying to control his rage as his uncle placed a calming hand on his shoulder.

“So what is it then?” the younger man hissed, hoping to salvage the situation somehow. “What’s my destiny with the Avatar?”

The fortuneteller examined the cracked bones once more, although she already knew the answer.

“You two will meet time and time again, and you will push each other to achieve greatness. Your fates are intertwined, and one day he will become either your greatest enemy… or your most trusted friend.”

The prince recoiled in horror at that last word.

“I’ve heard enough,” he snarled, storming out of the room and leaving his uncle alone with the fortuneteller.

He stalked past the bounty hunter waiting in the lobby with Meng, and both looked up at him curiously.

“What’s the matter, Prince Pouty?” June snarked between bites of her tea cake. “Did the old woman tell you that your girlfriend decided to dump you or something?”

“Shut up!” he yelled, slamming the door behind him as he stomped outside.

Then he threw open the door enough to poke his head back inside.

“And she is _not_ my girlfriend!” he roared before slamming it closed again.

Meng stared after him with wide eyes as June finished off her cake.

“I wouldn’t worry about him, kid,” the bounty hunter said, wiping crumbs off her tunic. “He’s full of hot air, but he’s a harmless grump.”

“I’ll say,” Meng agreed, nibbling on her own cake. “Maybe he needs some kisses from his girlfriend to make him feel better.”

June cackled and helped herself to another tea cake.

“Kid, you’re alright. I like you.”

Meanwhile, the two elders listened to the exchange and smiled knowingly at each other in silence.

Then the old man settled down on the mat to properly introduce himself and converse in private with his colleague from the Order.

~*~*~

After that encounter, the prince did his best to forget about the fortuneteller’s words altogether.

She had been little more than a con artist, her visions a scam.

Still, he recalled her predictions sometimes in the darkest hours of the night, when he was all alone with his thoughts, wondering if there might be some truth to her after all.

But once he found himself in Mai’s arms, he decided the old woman was indeed nothing more than a charlatan, especially regarding the love of his life.

Who was _she_ to know who he’d fall for, especially what his destiny entailed?

He eventually forgot about the fortuneteller almost completely, even after he finally decided to join the Avatar and his group of companions as Aang’s firebending master.

Over time they accepted him as a friend, even the waterbender who bested him time and time again in combat.

One day, the prince even watched in amazement as the girl he once scorned as a peasant stopped the rain entirely, and for a moment he was reminded of his fortune told from long ago. 

Yet as incredible as her display was, he wasn’t left breathless by her or her power…

… that is, until the day she brought him back from the brink of death.

~*~*~

Zuko let out a cough as his eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus on the woman above him, her blues contrasted sharply against the crimson sky.

He heard her let out a cry of relief, and she brushed a few strands of messy hair away from his face with her soft hands.

“You’re safe now,” she choked out, and he felt her hot tears drip down onto his bare chest as she continued to heal him. “I’ve got you, Zuko, it’s okay.”

He groaned and lifted his head to watch her hands glowing blue against the lightning scar he would carry for the rest of his days.

“You saved me…” he gasped out. “How did you…”

She smiled down at him.

“I had to use my bending to literally start your heart again earlier and heal the damage… you could even say I held your heart in my hands at one point.”

Although it physically hurt to do so, he smiled weakly up at her as realization dawned on him.

“Thank you, Katara,” he whispered, wondering how he could have been so blind and why he’d been so hellbent on ignoring the truth.

“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you,” she murmured in response. “You almost lost everything just to save me… I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

His eyes closed momentarily as he smiled to himself. Against all odds, that fortuneteller had been right.

When he realized earlier that his sister’s cruel lightning was meant for Katara, he didn’t hesitate at all.

As his feet pounded against the tiles while he ran, Zuko had an epiphany – he was about to sacrifice everything he ever wanted just for her, just like the old woman had predicted...

...and if he had to, he’d do so all over again.

Even as the blue flames charred his veins and his vision blacked out in complete agony, even as he fell to the ground below with a sickening thud, he was never more certain of anything else in his life.

~*~*~

Soon Katara helped him rise, and once they stood he had to lean against her for strength, her hand carefully rubbing his back to keep him upright.

He turned his head towards her and smiled warmly, which she returned.

Then he surprised them both by carefully taking her free hand in his and lifted it to his lips, gently planting kisses all over her fingertips, eventually resting her palm against his cheek.

Katara’s eyes widened as he did so, especially when she saw the tender look wash over his face.

“Zuko?” she asked softly. “Are you… are you feeling okay?”

He nodded and interlaced his fingers with hers, and his heart skipped a beat when she didn’t pull away – if anything, she inched even closer to his side.

“Never been better,” he murmured, closing his eyes in relief, resting his scarred cheek against her soft hair.

Destiny, he decided, was indeed a funny thing after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I've gotten so much positive feedback on this fic since I initially posted it last month, and I realized there was still so much potential story left to play around with, so I decided to add a couple of chapters. 
> 
> To preview: Sifu Hotman gets his chops thoroughly busted by our favorite bounty hunter and discovers some interesting things about Katara (who he definitely doesn’t have a crush on) in the process.

All things considered, seeking out the bounty hunter who had once tracked down two-fifths of the present company and paralyzed them wasn’t the worst plan he’d ever come up with.

But he wasn’t too thrilled with it, nonetheless, and he had a feeling they wouldn’t be, either. 

“Hey, I remember her!” Sokka exclaimed behind him over the noise of the tavern. “She helped you attack us!”

Zuko winced as he too recalled the memory. He had a terrible feeling about this whole thing, but it’s not like he had much a choice but to proceed with his hastily thrown together plan.

“Yup,” he deadpanned and bit back a sigh. “Back in the good old days.”

It was hard to believe that nearly a year had passed after that encounter with June and how much had changed since then, especially in the last several months.

Well, no sense in dragging it out, he thought sullenly as he led the others towards the woman dressed in all black. They had to find Aang, and she was currently their only hope.

Her dark eyes spotted them as they made their way across the room, and judging by the frown on her face, she remembered her previous encounter with him all too well.

“Oh, great,” she snarked once they approached her table. “It’s Prince Pouty.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as she continued. “Where’s your creepy grandpa?”

The old Zuko might have blown up at that nickname - which would have only proven her point, he supposed. However, there were more important things at stake than his bruised ego, so he opted to ignore the jab and cut straight to the chase.

“He’s my uncle, and he’s not here,” the prince said drily.

June’s gaze flickered over to Katara, who stood next to him, and he inwardly braced himself for the taunting that was sure to follow – of course she recognized the Water Tribe siblings she had once been hired to hunt down, too.

“I see you worked things out with your girlfriend,” June said coolly. “I guess the kid was right. All you two needed was to kiss and make up.”

Blood rushed straight to Zuko’s cheeks, and he didn’t dare make eye contact with Katara just yet. Based on her yelp of shock, however, she was just as embarrassed as he was.

It didn’t help that Toph and Suki were barely stifling snickers off to the side, and he could sense Sokka’s eyeroll of disapproval from behind him more than saw it.

“She’s _not_ my girlfriend!” he stammered, noting out of the corner of his eye that Katara was actually kind of cute whenever she was all flustered…

Wait.

What?

Where on earth did _that_ come from?

“I’m _not_ his girlfriend!” the waterbender squeaked out at the same time, snapping him out of this sudden epiphany. “And what are you talking about, who’s this kid?”

Oh, he thought as his heart faltered. Oh _no_.

How could he have forgotten?

Zuko wanted to crawl under a nearby table or march right back out the door as his entire face turned as scarlet as his clothes. Maybe Toph could even earthbend him directly underground, bypassing a proper funeral altogether because he was absolutely certain he was about to _die_ of humiliation.

June just smirked and gestured towards both Water Tribe siblings.

“Back when we were tracking you two down, my shirshu got injured and we had to stop overnight in Makapu Village while he recovered. So to kill time while Nyla was at the healer’s, his royal grouchiness got his fortune told-”

“It was my uncle’s idea!” Zuko protested, but the bounty hunter just waved him off.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Apparently this fortuneteller said some things that made Prince Pouty here all upset. Meng and I figured it had to do with his girlfriend.”

All Zuko could do was stutter out some gibberish, something that vaguely sounded like _but she’s not my girlfriend_ as realization dawned on the siblings’ faces.

“Wait, Meng? As in, Aunt Wu’s assistant?” Katara asked, eyes lighting up and grinning in spite of herself as the prince nodded weakly. “You guys met Aunt Wu?”

Her brother looked less than pleased upon mention of the fortuneteller’s name again. 

“Oh, I remember her,” he groaned. “I wouldn’t trust her as far as I could throw her, what a phony old-”

“Sokka!” his sister scolded, wheeling around to glare at him. “Just because you don’t believe in fortunetelling doesn’t mean it’s not real!”

Their gang’s resident scientist rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“That’s because it’s all a bunch of hooey, sis, and I can’t believe you’d fall for something stupid like-”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose before he stomped his boot on the floor, effectively silencing them both.

“Enough!” he snapped, raising his voice. “We don’t have time for this, guys. We need to find Aang as soon as possible before the comet comes.”

Sokka grumbled in agreement, while Katara raised her eyebrow at the prince and folded her arms, and he immediately regretted barking at her.

(Her brother, not so much).

“I’m sorry,” Zuko apologized sheepishly to her in a much gentler tone. “I wasn’t trying to be a jerk, it’s just…”

She hip-checked him with a smug grin on her face, even though he absorbed the impact without moving.

“Apology accepted, Prince Pouty,” she teased.

Great. As if she and the others needed more ammo to bust his chops. Sure, he deserved it after everything he'd put them all through, but that didn't mean he had to like it. 

At least it wasn't so bad whenever Katara teased him, for some reason...

He rolled his eyes and exhaled a few wisps of smoke before turning back around to face June, who had watched their interaction with a smirk that he _really_ didn’t like. Zuko could practically see the wheels turning in her mind as she conjured up new taunts about the two of them – who were _just friends_ , thank you. 

The only reason he decided to go ahead with this plan from that point onward was because they literally had no other options and were almost out of time.

“So what do you want?” the bounty hunter asked, swirling the drink in her cup around.

Zuko recalled his childhood lessons on princely etiquette and used his most diplomatic voice possible, even forcing himself to smile just a bit.

“We need your help finding the Avatar,” he said calmly.

June pondered over this for a moment and held up her cup to take a sip.

“Doesn’t sound too fun,” she replied in a bored tone. “No thanks.”

So much for diplomacy. The Fire Prince let out a loud huff of frustration.

“Does the end of the world sound like more fun instead?!” he growled, getting right up in her face, and the bounty hunter blinked in surprise with the cup still raised to her lips.

She took a swallow and set her drink back down on the table.

“Well, when you put it like _that_ … sure, why not?”

He sighed and bowed his head politely.

“Thank you, that-” he began before she held up a finger to cut him off.

“But let me finish my drink first.”

Zuko growled again and crossed his arms impatiently, glaring down at her. The corner of June’s crimson-painted lips raised once more in a smirk as she raised her eyebrow over at Katara.

“I see your boyfriend’s temper hasn’t improved much since last time. Maybe you should kiss him more often and he’ll mellow out.”

All of the blood in his body seemed to rush to Zuko’s face yet _again_ , and the pounding in his ears almost blocked out Katara’s indignant sputtering beside him.

“He’s _not_ my boyfriend!” she insisted.

“I’m _not_ her boyfriend!” he echoed.

Off to the side, Suki raised her hand with an evil grin that spelled nothing but trouble. Zuko sent her a warning look, which she deliberately ignored.

“Um, hi, June was it? Why do you keep calling them boyfriend and girlfriend?”

The bounty hunter winked devilishly when she noticed Suki’s wicked expression as well and gestured towards the siblings.

“What else was I supposed to think when he asked me to track them down with her engagement necklace? I assumed it was a lover’s quarrel gone wrong and he was trying to win her back.”

Zuko groaned and slapped his palm to his forehead, dragging it down his face.

“I _told_ you back then that she wasn’t the main target, I was looking for the Avatar she was traveling with,” he grumbled before something dawned on him and he stared at her and Katara in horror. “Wait… engagement necklace?”

The bounty hunter nodded and took another sip of her drink as Katara spoke up, her cheeks flushed bright pink.

“Um, yeah… it was my grandmother’s betrothal necklace, though, not mine,” she clarified, crossing her arms. “Then she passed it on to my mother when my parents were engaged, and then it was passed on to me. I lost it during our travels at some point, and Zuko found it.”

June smirked.

“And here I thought he was acting all moody because you rejected his proposal or something.”

The prince gritted his teeth.

“For the last time, she’s _not_ and has _never_ been my girlfriend, much less my fiancée.”

The bounty hunter snorted.

“Could’ve fooled me. Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you were mooning over her back then and even some tonight, Lover Boy.”

His friends were openly staring at him now, as he could only gawk at June slack-jawed, unable to voice the protest lodged in the back of his throat. Instead, it came out as a pathetic squeak.

“I was not… that’s not true… I never… she’s not my…”

June waited a beat or two before she burst into full-on laughter.

“Nah, I’m just messing with ya, your Royal Grouchiness. But serves you right for yelling in my face earlier.”

He covered his face with both of his hands and dearly wished that Toph was a mind reader, so she could bury him underground already…

“I knew I was going to like this lady!” the earthbender cackled, playfully clapping his shoulder. “I’ve never sensed Zuko get this flustered before. This is so great!” 

So much for that sliver of hope. If anything, Toph would guarantee that he stayed above ground to draw out his embarrassment as long as possible. He couldn’t trust Suki anymore either, not with that smirk on her face earlier.

The only ones still on his side were the pretty girl who he did _not_ have a crush on, no matter how much he wanted to burst into flames at the moment, and her older brother, whose patience during this encounter was obviously wearing thin.

The prince let out a pitiful whine – an Agni-blasted _whine_ , he _never_ whined, but he was moments away from self-immolation, since his face surely couldn’t turn any redder hidden beneath his fingers. 

His cheeks only grew hotter when he felt a soft, familiar hand pat his other shoulder delicately, though that did little to comfort him. Not that he didn’t appreciate Katara’s gesture, which no doubt was meant to be soothing but only made him even more aware of his heart hammering away inside his ribs.

June eyed him in amusement before she downed the remainder of her drink and stood up, resting her hands on her hips.

“Alright, I’ve tortured you long enough. C’mon, kids. Let’s go find the Avatar and save the world.”

Zuko let out a sigh of relief, finally removing his hands from his still-scarlet face as he and the others followed her outside, completely unable to look at Katara until his blood cooled down.

~*~*~

The following night found their gang camping outside of the damaged walls of Ba Sing Se, sprawled out on Appa as they settled in to get some much-needed rest.

Toph however opted to sleep in a stone tent nearby, citing her preference to be as close to the ground as possible.

The five friends talked quietly amongst themselves as they started to drift off, wondering what could have happened to Aang and if they’d actually find Iroh the next day.

A peaceful silence gradually overtook them, and they had nearly dozed off when Suki piped up.

“So… I can’t be the only one wondering what that fortuneteller told Zuko back then that made him act so upset, am I?”

The prince scowled as his eyes flew open. He’d really, _really_ hoped they would have forgotten all about that conversation from last night…

“Yeah, I’m curious too,” Katara agreed. “What did she say?”

She propped herself up on her elbow to peer over at him as he crossed his arms and glared up at her in the dark. To his dismay, the others were now paying attention to him as well.

“It’s not important,” he grumbled. “Besides, I don’t believe in fortunetellers.”

“Aww, you’re no fun,” she whined playfully.

The waterbender poked his ribs with her fingertip, causing him to hiss and contort his body to escape her touch. Katara’s eyes lit up mischievously as he scooted a few inches away from her over on Appa’s leg.

“Wait, are you ticklish?” she asked, reaching out to poke his side again and again and again.

“Cut it out!” he complained, swatting at her hand and sending death glares that did nothing to discourage her.

Katara winked at him, and he suddenly wondered if she could see in the darkness how flushed his cheeks were. Worst of all, he realized at that exact moment that Toph could probably sense how quickly his heart had started pounding again…

“Only if you tell us what Aunt Wu said,” Katara conceded with a shrug, settling back down on Appa’s other leg. “Besides, you said yourself that you don’t believe in fortunes. Why not share with the rest of us if it doesn’t mean anything anyways?”

His mind was racing and his palms felt sweaty as he recalled exactly what the older woman had predicted all those months ago.

“I don’t think anyone else is that interested…” he began feebly.

“Yeah we are, Sifu Hotman,” said the stone tent that housed Toph. 

“Come on, just tell us!” Suki insisted, siting up and poking her head around the sky bison’s back to grin at him. 

“Look, I don’t believe in that stuff either but you’re acting so dodgy that now I’m curious too,” Sokka added. 

Even Appa let out a rumble that probably meant he was interested as well.

Katara grinned cheekily at Zuko as he wiped his hands down his tired face.

“Please?” she asked softly, blinking innocently a few times for good measure.

His resolve crumbled as he gazed up into her sapphire blue eyes that sparkled like stars dancing across the night sky overhead. He had nearly forgotten about that encounter with the fortuneteller, truth be told, and over the last day all of the memories came flooding back unbidden.

Aunt Wu had predicted many things regarding his future, even vague details about the woman he was supposed to marry someday. There were two vastly distinct outcomes based upon his decisions, she had projected, and there was a different bride he would wed in either of them.

Supposedly, though, only one of them would be the love of his life, and their romance would be the stuff of legend, the type that authors wrote about and inspired poets for generations to come.

Which was all well and good, except that all signs back then had pointed to the waterbender currently stretched out nearby beside him, tilting her head down at him inquisitively.

Obviously, he couldn’t tell her or the others any of that.

_Yeah, this Wu lady foresaw that Katara and I might fall in love someday and it would be some epic love story, no big deal._

Nope, that definitely would not go over well, he thought as his cheeks burned again.

The fortuneteller had never said outright that he would end up with Katara, of course, although it didn’t take a genius to put the clues together.

 _“She is on her way to becoming a magnificent bender,”_ Aunt Wu had predicted, _“and you will fall for her the day she leaves you breathless and awestruck by her power. On that day, she will hold your heart safely within her hands.”_

While Katara was undoubtedly a talented waterbender, he hadn’t been rendered breathless or awestruck by her yet. He’d been silently amazed when she stopped the rain entirely during the confrontation with Yon Rha, but he hadn’t fallen for her that day or any since then.

If what the old woman had said was true, though, did that mean the day he fell for her was still out there somewhere on the horizon?

Ugh. This is _exactly_ why he didn’t like fortunetelling – it had a tendency to influence one’s actions and make people act completely irrational worrying about their futures.

Granted, Aunt Wu had also predicted that his future love would be considered a princess among her people, and as far as he knew, neither Katara nor Sokka were descended from nobility.

Zuko took small comfort in that fact, although it disappointed him for some reason all the same…

~*~*~

“Look, you don’t have to share if you don’t want,” Katara was saying, bringing him back to the present. “I was just curious…”

He gulped and realized he’d been staring right into her brilliant blue eyes the entire time he’d been lost in thought. So he turned his head back up to gaze into the blue-black night sky, concentrating on finding a constellation overhead to distract himself from his racing heart.

“Well... she told me some things I wasn’t ready to hear just yet,” he admitted quietly, “and I’m still not sure if I’m ready for them, honestly…” 

Katara made a sound of sympathy and watched him, intrigued, as he continued.

“She predicted that I would be Fire Lord one day, and that I would either turn out to be a tyrant or a benevolent ruler… and that the Avatar would become my greatest enemy or my best friend.”

The others were quiet for a moment as they took all of that in.

“Well, that was pretty much a given, right?” Sokka asked. “I’d say you’re already on the right path, since you’re one of us now and friends with Aang.”

“I guess,” he agreed.

“Anyways, she foresaw that Aang would be involved in some epic battle that would determine the fate of the world, so I wouldn’t put much stock in it,” Sokka added. “If anything, that fortuneteller just stated the obvious.”

His sister let out a scoff.

“She also predicted all of Sokka’s misery and anguish would be self-inflicted, so yeah, she was stating the obvious on that one.”

“Hey!”

Katara giggled and winked at Zuko.

“Besides, I _liked_ my fortunes,” she said haughtily, drumming her fingertips against her stomach as she let out a dreamy sigh. “I’ve got some good things coming up some day.”

Her brother snorted.

“Look, just because some crazy old lady tells you stories about the guy you’re supposed to marry, that doesn’t mean it’s true.”

Zuko’s head whipped over in her direction before he could help himself. Thankfully, Suki spoke up just then, serving as a well-timed distraction and drawing Katara’s attention away from his gawking.

“Oooh! I want to hear about Katara’s future husband!” she squealed, sounding like a teenage girl that often stayed hidden beneath the Kyoshi war paint.

Sokka groaned.

“Come on, that’s so dumb. Nobody wants to hear that…”

“ _I_ do,” Suki interjected. “What about you, Toph?”

“Eh, I don’t care about this stuff either way. I say go for it.”

“Well, at least Zuko will back me up, right buddy? You don’t want to hear some dumb prediction about who my sister’s going to marry, do you?”

Actually, he very much _did_ , although he tried to play it cool when she turned her head back his way to glance over at him in the darkness.

“I mean… if you want to tell us, that’s okay,” Zuko said, flashing her a nervous smile. “I don’t really mind.”

Katara’s face split into a wide grin of triumph as her brother squawked in protest about how guys were supposed to stick together, or something. Then Sokka squawked again as they heard Suki swat his arm, telling him to hush already.

~*~*~

Zuko couldn’t help the smile that overtook his features as he watched Katara grin up at the stars like a lovestruck girl. Even if he had completely misinterpreted his own fortune somehow and she was destined to marry someone else, at least he had this moment to take in her beauty.

There was nothing wrong with admiring a pretty girl who chose to sleep near him, right?

“Well, Aunt Wu said it was going to be a great romance…” Katara began, her voice tingling with excitement.

That was the same thing the fortuneteller had predicted for him, Zuko thought smugly, resting his hands under the back of his neck as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

So far, so good…

“… with a _very_ powerful bender…”

He didn’t consider himself to be the best by any means, but he did have a lot of experience firebending, so that could be technically be chalked up to another win…

“… who will command respect…”

If he ever became Fire Lord someday, that would definitely be the case…

“… and he’s going to be tall…”

Check. He wasn’t even done growing yet, either.

“… and handsome, too!”

Zuko didn’t think of himself as hideous, per se… but handsome was not the word he’d use to describe himself, considering the red, mottled scar covering his left eye and most of his cheek.

Still though, he’d drawn a fair number of fangirls who often lurked around outside the palace gates, and they certainly found him attractive enough to fawn shamelessly over him. Plus, Mai hadn’t been offput by his scar either, and he knew Katara wasn’t that shallow.

He knew he was letting himself get carried away, but what was the harm in his imagination running rampant just this once? It’s not like anything was ever going to happen between them, anyways.

Sokka _hmphed_ and let out a scoff.

“It’s going to be Aang, isn’t it?” he asked with a yawn. “That’s the guy you’re going to marry, right?”

Oh.

… _oh_ , Zuko thought woefully as something heavy settled in his stomach just then and he plummeted from his cloud back down to face the cold, cruel reality of it all.

Of _course_ she was going to end up with the Avatar – it made too much sense, after all.

Zuko turned over on his side and faced away from the others, sighing despondently. That’s why he shouldn’t let himself entertain stupid daydreams like that in the first place.

He heard Katara sit upright behind him.

“Excuse me?” she asked, sounding exasperated. “Who says it’s going to be him?”

Her brother snorted.

“Come on, sis. Hello, powerful bender? Besides, the kid’s been head over heels for you since the day we met him.”

Katara seemed hesitant when she replied.

“I guess… I guess that’s true…”

Suki decided to throw her two copper pieces into the conversation as well.

“That doesn’t mean she’s going to marry Aang though, does it? Katara, do you even like him like that?”

The waterbender groaned and plopped back down on Appa’s leg.

“I don’t know,” Katara admitted. “I mean, he’s a good friend but I guess I’m confused… I just don’t want to break his heart…”

“Well, you shouldn’t be with someone just to make them feel better,” Suki advised. “Who knows? You may even end up with someone you haven’t even met yet, some other powerful bender.”

Sokka muttered something about how it was kind of hard to beat the _most_ powerful bender, though, and the prince decided to tune out the rest of the conversation.

It was all pointless, anyways

There was no guarantee they’d even win this war, what with Aang still missing, so they’d probably all be dead in the next few days.

Why was he even worrying about this? He and Katara were nothing more than good friends – that was all. There was slim to no chance that she saw him as anything more than that, much less pictured him as the powerful bender she was allegedly going to marry someday.

Besides, he remembered freaking out back then at the implication of them ending up together. While he had gotten to know Katara better and grown to admire her, that didn’t mean he liked her any more than the others.

Right?

“… and then she predicted that I would have my third great-grandchild before I passed away quietly in my sleep…”

From somewhere in the darkness Sokka groaned.

“Come on, sis, give it a rest already. I don’t think even Zuko cares about things like that, right buddy?”

The prince made no reply, instead squeezing his eyes shut as he slowed down his breathing. He heard a rustling behind his back on the fur, as if Katara turned around to look at him.

“I think Zuko’s asleep,” she called out softly to the others. “He’s got the right idea, too. It’s getting late and we’ve still got a big day ahead of us.”

“See, I knew at least someone would find your love life so boring that they’d doze off – ow, Suki!” Sokka whined. “Quit pinching me, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

The stone tent rumbled against the ground nearby.

“Would all of you knock it off?” Toph snapped from inside. “I don’t know _how_ Zuko’s managing to sleep though all of this chattering, but I’m tired, too. We can discuss Katara’s love life some other time, okay?”

The others mumbled their apologies and settled back down into their spots, and all was quiet at last.

~*~*~

Only once he heard Katara’s soft breathing slow behind him did Zuko allow his eyes to flutter open again.

Toph of course had realized that he was still awake earlier, although her decision not to call attention to it was curious, especially since she must have sensed his frantic heartbeat beforehand. He wondered at this but chose not to dwell on it, not when they had a million other concerns that took precedence.

The prince rubbed his eyes and let out a sigh, stretching out to make himself more comfortable.

“Zuko?”

His heart stopped for a moment at the sound of her sweet, sleepy voice. Swallowing hard, he turned his head back to smile apologetically over at Katara, who was curled up facing him. 

“Hey,” he whispered, rolling over on his side towards her. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Almost,” she said, peeking at him through her lashes. “You okay?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, I’m just tired and have a lot on my mind. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm.”

A gentle smile washed over his features as he watched her nestle into Appa’s thick fur, her soft hair cascading around her pretty face like a waterfall.

“Get some rest, Katara,” he murmured, resisting the urge to run his fingers through her wavy locks for some reason. “You’re going to need all of your strength in the next few days.”

Her ocean blue eyes fluttered open for just a moment as she smiled sleepily over at him.

“Don’t you worry about my strength,” she replied with a wink. “I’ve got plenty for the both of us.”

Zuko grinned.

“Well, I feel much better now, knowing that you’re looking out for me and that you’ve got my back.”

“You should, Prince Pouty, since I can take you on anytime, anyplace.”

“And I’d go along with it and let you win, if it made you happy.”

She poked his side once more and smirked as he stifled a yelp so he wouldn’t wake the others.

“G’night, Zuko,” she mumbled. 

“Sweet dreams, Katara,” he replied tenderly, his eyes crinkling up in a smile before they closed. 

He was almost asleep when he heard her whispering beside him again in the darkness.

“By the way… I think you’d make a great catch.”

He squinted in her direction and lifted his head in confusion.

“Huh?” he asked eloquently.

She giggled softly with her eyes still closed.

“I’m just saying that you’re going to make some lucky girl happy one day…”

“Oh… thanks?”

“Besides, you’re pretty cute.”

So much for sleep.

He bolted upright, wide awake.

“Wait, what?”

But she grinned cheekily and turned over, facing away from him.

“Night, Zuko.”

“Wait, Katara? Katara?”

He waited for her to respond, but this time it seemed like she had actually fallen asleep, based on the quiet hums coming from her direction.

“Girls are crazy,” he muttered to himself, lying back down and turning away from her in a huff.

Still, he couldn’t resist letting the corners of his mouth turn upwards, just for a moment before he finally dozed off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just something so satisfyingly evil about writing a flustered, kind-of-pining-but-still-in-denial Zuko. 
> 
> Coming up next time: he finally learns that Katara and Sokka could technically be considered royalty, due to their father being a chief, and the GAang reunites with Aunt Wu at the Order of the White Lotus camp.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially planned to wrap this up by the end of this chapter but... I got a little carried away. Oops. 
> 
> See y’all down in the comments!

Katara smiled proudly as she watched Zuko stand and, after a moment’s hesitation, carefully part the hanging flaps that served as a doorway and disappeared inside the tent.

Now, there was nothing left to do but wait.

If you had told her back when they first met that she would befriend the Fire Prince, she would have thought you were crazy. Yet here she was, willingly offering him support and a shoulder to lean on, just like he had once done for her.

Destiny was indeed a funny thing, she thought to herself.

She stood up and dusted grass off of her clothing before she rejoined the others, who were catching up with the masters.

A part of her wanted to wait for Zuko outside of his uncle’s tent until he reemerged, but there was no telling how long his conversation with Iroh would take. Perhaps it would even last all night – the two surely had a lot to discuss, after all.

She stifled a yawn as she listened to the others conversing. Sokka was asking Pakku (who he was now referring to as Gran-Pakku, despite their step-grandfather’s vehement protests) about Gran Gran and updates from their tribe.

Meanwhile, Suki and Piandao were discussing the finer points of weaponry, and Toph and Bumi were making plans to test their earthbending against each other in a rumble the next day.

( _Spirits_ _help them_ _all_ if those two ever did actually face off, Katara thought while suppressing a shudder.)

Jeong Jeong had disappeared into his own tent the moment they arrived at the camp, which made sense she supposed, as firebenders were weakest in the middle of the night. With the way she was fighting to stay awake, she might as well be one of them.

Fortunately, they noticed her swaying lightly as she stood, and the three girls were soon guided towards their own private tent. Oddly enough, it had already been set up as if they’d been expecting their gang to arrive and outfitted with three beds (and two rock slabs for Toph to set up another stone tent, if she preferred).

They sprawled out on their beds (excluding the earthbender, who of course opted to stay closer to the ground) and talked softly amongst themselves until they started to drift off to sleep.

~*~*~

Once she heard Toph lightly snoring, Suki reached over and carefully tapped Katara’s arm.

“I can’t believe you’ve known all this time about the guy you’re supposed to marry,” she whispered, propping herself up on her side. “And to think we could have had a betting pool going to figure out who he is.”

Katara rolled her eyes as she turned her head towards her friend in the darkness.

“Well, it’s not like we haven’t had more important things to worry about, like oh, I don’t know, stopping the end of the world itself?”

Suki grinned.

“Oh, I know,” she replied. “I’m just saying, I could’ve been playing matchmaker this entire time.”

The waterbender scoffed, even as a grin threatened to spread across her face.

“It’s not like I have that many options at the moment, anyways,” Katara said softly. “I only know a handful of guys around my age. Haru’s just a good friend, I know Aang likes me but I’m still not sure how I feel about him, and Zuko…”

Her voice trailed off, and all was silent for some minutes.

What about Zuko, indeed.

Something unspoken had been lingering beneath the surface between the two of them for some time now, something neither of them dared to name. Katara noticed it in his gaze whenever their eyes met, and she often wondered if he saw it on her face as well, no matter how she tried to hide it.

She didn’t even know what “it” was, anyways.

Finally, Suki spoke up, whispering her next words like a long-kept secret.

“I think he likes you.”

Katara knew she should probably protest and perhaps even feign offense at the idea… except she’d already reached that same conclusion some time ago herself. She wasn’t entirely sure when she had that revelation, only that it was shortly after Zuko had earned her forgiveness.

Now that he had proven himself to be honorable time and time again and reined in his temper, she had to admit that the Fire Prince wasn’t as bad as she’d previously thought.

Underneath the brooding, occasionally temperamental exterior was a soft-hearted soul who made sure to feed the wild turtleducks that resided near the beach house and sought to be as helpful as possible, always volunteering to lend a hand with whatever chores needed to be done.

He told terrible jokes that made them all laugh at his failed delivery instead of the punchlines themselves, which he didn’t seem to mind too much if it meant they accepted him.

While he was still capable of being a jerk at times, Katara slowly had started to realize that when all was said and done, maybe he wasn’t the worst guy in the world.

“You really think so?” she asked, even though she knew the answer already.

Her friend scoffed quietly.

“I think he was protesting a bit too much the other night when June was teasing him,” Suki said. “I also think _you_ were getting a bit too flustered yourself when she was teasing you _both_.”

“Of course I was flustered!” Katara protested. “I mean, wouldn’t you be too if she had suggested you and Zuko were a couple when you’re clearly not?”

Suki gave her friend a sympathetic look, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it in the dark. It looked like she’d have to spell this out for Katara after all.

“Since there’s absolutely nothing between us, I’d just laugh it off or ignore it,” Suki said. “Now, if she’d teased me about liking your brother back before we got together, I would’ve actually been embarrassed.’

Katara propped herself up on her side as well and narrowed her eyes.

“What are you trying to say?” she asked, her voice bordering on shrill even as a whisper.

The other girl just raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“ _You_ tell _me_ , Katara. You’re the one who decided to sleep next to him the other night and who apparently tickled him and called him cute.”

The waterbender tried to stammer out a retort but found she had nothing to counter that with besides a squeak.

“You _heard_ that?” she groaned, covering her burning face with her hands.

Katara suddenly had an epiphany when her friend nodded.

“Wait, if you heard, does that mean Sokka-”

“Nope, he was actually out cold, so your secret flirting is safe with me.”

“Your secret crush is safe with me too, Sugar Queen.”

Suki clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter as Katara buried her face in her pillow to muffle her shriek.

“Toph!” she hissed once she finally composed herself. “I thought you were asleep!”

The earthbender snorted.

“Well I _was_ until your heart started pounding a mile a minute,” Toph countered. “Seriously, how’s a girl supposed to sleep when you’re silently freaking out like that?”

Katara groaned again and smooshed the pillow over her face as she mumbled something unintelligible.

“What’s that, Sweetness?” 

She removed the pillow and exhaled slowly, her cheeks positively scarlet.

“I said I’m about to go drown myself in the nearest river,” Katara muttered. “This is so humiliating…”

Suki reached over and patted her arm gently, or at least she tried to – it was hard to see inside the dark tent and she was drowsy, so she ended up patting Katara’s face instead.

“Oops, sorry,” she whispered in response to her friend’s squawk of protest. “Look Katara, there’s nothing wrong with having a crush on the guy. Sure, he wasn’t always the nicest and you two didn’t get off to the best start, but all things considered? Now that he’s on our side, I think you both would be good together.”

Katara said nothing, rolling over on her stomach and burying her face in her pillow once more as Suki continued.

“Besides, if you believe what that fortuneteller predicted, he _does_ fit a lot of the criteria for your future husband – he’s a powerful bender, he’s tall, and he’s devastatingly handsome in a broody kind of way.”

“Suki!” she hissed, mortified.

“What?” her friend countered. “I’m happily dating your brother but I’m not blind. Zuko’s totally not my type, but I can see how other girls would be into that.”

“Besides,” Toph added, “his heart has been turning somersaults lately whenever you’re near him, and he’s not the only one. I’m just saying, I think you should acknowledge the elephant mandrill in the room and tell each other how you feel already. Both of your heartbeats are driving my feet insane.”

Katara bit her lip uncertainly.

“What about Aang, though?” she asked softly. “He likes me, and I don’t want to break his heart, especially since he’s already been through so much…”

The other girls were silent for a moment.

“Well, that depends on how you feel about Aang,” Suki said. “Can you see yourself with him once this is all over, as more than just a friend? I mean, you don’t have to decide anything tonight, but I stand by what I said earlier. Just because someone has feelings for you doesn’t mean that you have to reciprocate them or that you’re a terrible person if you don’t.”

The waterbender nodded silently. She just hated the thought of breaking anyone’s heart, especially someone she cared about.

“The same goes for Zuko,” Suki continued. “Sure, he’s going to be Fire Lord one day, but if you two truly cared about each other, I don’t see why you couldn’t end up together… _if_ that’s what _you_ wanted.”

Katara let out a sigh and rolled over onto her side. If she was being totally honest with herself, she had recently contemplated her feelings for the prince more often than she cared to admit and if she was actually falling for him.

This is crazy, she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was no way things could ever work out between them, they were simply too different…

Weren’t they? 

Suddenly, she didn’t know anymore.

So she mumbled something about them needing to fall asleep, and fortunately the other girls didn’t argue. Yet as they dozed peacefully nearby, Katara found herself blinking in the darkness, alone with her thoughts.

She finally fell asleep sometime later, tossing and turning fitfully until the sun broke over the horizon.

~*~*~

Once they’d freshened up and dressed the following morning, the friends were greeted at breakfast by the Dragon of the West himself.

Toph was especially pleased to be reunited with Iroh again and even doled out an arm punch that was far gentler than usual after practically bowling him over in an embrace.

“Do all firebenders give such great, cozy hugs?” she asked. “I feel like Sifu Hotman has been holding out on us.”

Zuko shrugged a shoulder noncommittally.

“Sorry, Toph, I’m not much of a hugger,” he said. “Neither is anyone else in my family for that matter, except for Uncle and my mother.”

Katara gave him an encouraging smile.

“You should do it more often,” she said. “The time we hugged before was really nice. Maybe that’s a firebender thing, giving out warm hugs.”

Zuko allowed himself to grin as he glanced down at the ground for a moment. He completely missed the raised eyebrow shared between his uncle and Suki, who discreetly mouthed that she would fill the old general in later.

Instead, he was too busy remembering how soft her hair had been when it had rested against his cheek, how her arms seemed to fit perfectly around his neck, and how for a few shining moments, he’d felt safe and happy holding her close…

But that was dangerous territory his mind was treading on, and he immediately quelled that line of thinking. 

It was just in time, too, as his uncle was saying something about giving them a tour of the camp that day. Sozin’s Comet was still approximately a week away, and the soldiers accompanying the Order of the White Lotus had expressed interest in meeting the Avatar’s companions.

After breakfast, their group was also joined by Pakku, who chatted amicably with his new grandchildren as they walked around. They paused at each tent and introduced them to various benders and nonbenders who had decided to join their cause, including some defectors from the Fire Nation.

To the gang’s amazement, some waterbenders and warriors from the Northern Water Tribe had also chosen to fight on their behalf as well, inspired in part by Pakku’s influence. Eventually they reached a tent that housed a few Northern soldiers who remembered them from the Avatar’s visit to the North Pole.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again in good health,” said one, bowing low towards the siblings. “It’s been far too long, Prince Sokka and Princess Katara.”

At that, Zuko could have sworn his heart stopped beating for several moments entirely as his jaw fell open in shock and his face turned even paler than normal. 

“Wait, you’re… what?” he asked weakly, much to their amusement.

He recalled how the fortuneteller had said his future bride and love of his life would be considered royalty in a sense – and with that, another one of the major pieces fell into place.

Fortunately, he wasn’t the only one rendered momentarily speechless by this revelation. Suki and Toph also looked just as surprised as he felt.

“Um, excuse me?” their youngest member asked. “Since when are you two royalty, and were you ever planning on telling us?’

“Yeah, babe, you could have used that as a pickup line,” Suki added, playfully poking Sokka’s shoulder. “Do you know how many girls would kill to date a prince?”

She suddenly remembered herself and smiled sheepishly over at the firebender.

“Sorry, Zuko, I didn’t mean to imply anything-”

He waved his hand absentmindedly in her general direction.

“That’s okay, I don’t…” he mumbled, not taking his eyes off of Katara.

The waterbender haughtily tossed her hair with bravado and smirked at the still-gawking firebender, who didn’t look especially regal at the moment. 

“I think Zuko’s gone into shock,” she teased.

Katara nudged his shoulder with her fingertips and noting with amusement that he didn’t budge, much less peel those warm eyes away from her.

He was definitely cute whenever he got all flustered, she had decided while watching his reaction to the Ember Island Players, hence why she teased the Fire Prince as often as he’d let her.

Even if they weren’t fated to end up together, Katara decided she’d at least have her cake and eat it, too. After all, it’s not every day one got to make the crown prince of the Fire Nation blush and stammer, right?

“H..how?” Zuko blurted out, feeling his stupid cheeks blushing yet _again_.

Hadn’t he already blushed enough for a lifetime over the last couple of days?

The girl who was looking more and more like she was going to be his soulmate just shrugged.

“Well, since our dad is the chief, technically Sokka and I could be seen as royalty, in a sense. That’s more of a Northern Water Tribe thing, though. The Southern Water Tribe is more laid back about things like that.”

His golden eyes were still wide in shock, which she noticed with no small amount of amusement. She elbowed him playfully.

“You okay there?”

“It’s… I called you a peasant…” he mumbled, finally tearing his eyes away from her and staring at the ground in mortification.

“And now you’re feeling remorseful for disrespecting a princess, is that it?” she teased. “Does his highness feel bad about insulting a fellow member of royalty?”

“No!” he blurted out, and she raised her eyebrow in amusement. “I mean, I felt bad about it before now, but… why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it’s not a big deal?” she replied indifferently. “Besides, I would only be considered a princess among my own people of the Water Tribes. I don’t know if the other nations would technically recognize it.”

He looked like he was about to pass out nonetheless, although for the life of her, Katara couldn’t imagine why.

Fortunately for the bewildered and befuddled Fire Prince, his uncle suggested they move along, even though Iroh exchanged glances with Pakku and Suki while they walked. He clearly had a lot to discuss with them regarding Zuko’s sudden strange behavior. 

It had been obvious from the moment he saw his nephew interacting with Miss Katara that morning that the prince had a soft spot for her, and the old general suspected there must be something else hidden beneath the surface.

“There’s someone else who wanted to see you the moment she found out your group was arriving,” Pakku said as they stopped outside of the last tent. “I believe some of you have met both her and her assistant before.”

The friends looked at each in confusion, shrugging.

Then a familiar girl with pigtails poked her face outside of the tent flaps and flashed them a snaggle-toothed grin.

“It’s you!” she shouted, rushing outside and scanning their group before frowning slightly in disappointment. “Hey, where’s Aang?”

~*~*~

Zuko wasn’t the only one who froze up when he saw her – Sokka looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

Katara however burst into a friendly smile.

“Meng!” she shouted in disbelief, rushing forward to hug her. “What are you doing here… wait, does that mean…?”

The curtain was pulled back, and the beaming face of Aunt Wu shone out upon them. The fortuneteller was dressed in an identical set of blue and white robes signifying her as a member of the Order that matched the necklace she wore.

“My dears!” she called out warmly, ignoring how the two teen boys in her presence exchanged twin looks of panic. “It’s so good to see you again! I told Iroh last week that we would be expecting your company soon-”

Unfortunately, she was interrupted by a rather impolite screech towards the heavens by his sort-of royal highness, Prince Sokka, who couldn’t believe his insanely bad luck.

“Oh come on!” he whined, throwing his hands up into the air. “You’ve _got_ to be kidding me!”

Aunt Wu sighed and rolled her eyes, folding her arms.

“It’s a pleasure to see you too, Sokka,” she said in a voice that indicated it was anything but.

He made no reply, only groaning and lolling his head back, glaring up at the sky.

“Thanks for _nothing_ , universe,” he mumbled.

Fortunately for him, his sister had far better manners and remembered how to use them.

“Aunt Wu!” she exclaimed cheerfully as she bowed politely before the older woman. “You’re part of the Order, too?”

“That I am, my child,” the fortuneteller replied with a formal bow of her own. “Didn’t you wonder how they knew to set up two additional tents and exactly how many beds to prepare beforehand?”

None of the five friends had considered that, truth be told, although it seemed an obvious question in hindsight.

Meanwhile, Meng recognized the formerly antagonistic firebender who once frightened her.

“Hey, you’re that mean prince who breathed fire at me!” she said, pointing at him.

Zuko winced and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his eyes darting to the ground momentarily as his friends exchanged unamused glances with each other.

“You scared a little girl?” Sokka asked, raising his eyebrow. “Buddy, that’s low.”

The prince nodded, ashamed as he turned to face Meng.

“Um… hi again,” he said weakly. “I just wanted to say that was wrong, and I’m very sorry for how I acted back then. I’m not like that anymore, and I-”

“Wait, did you ever find your girlfriend?” Meng interrupted, perking up and eying how close he stood to Katara. “Is that why you’re nicer now? Because you found her and got a bunch of kisses?”

He could only gape down at the girl, eyes wide in horror as his friends and uncle and even _Pakku_ stifled laughter, those traitors. Ugh. If only he could self-immolate and put himself out of his misery…

… and of course he couldn’t very well lose his temper _now_ , especially after he’d just apologized for doing so in the past.

So instead, he ground his teeth and crossed his arms.

“I told you back then, I didn’t have a girlfriend, and I don’t have one now,” he muttered.

Not that he was opposed to the idea, even though there were far more important things to worry about at the moment.

He could feel his stupid face blush again because fate was a cruel mistress indeed and seemed hellbent on making his life a living nightmare and cause him as much embarrassment as possible. 

It didn’t help that his uncle clapped him on the shoulder, either.

“I’m sure that won’t be the case much longer!” Iroh said cheerfully. “Once the war is over, I’m positive the ladies will be flocking to his side – he still needs some coaching, but in no time he’ll be a natural charmer just like me!”

“Uncle!” Zuko hissed.

Agni, please kill him _now_. He had no intention of ever being a ladies’ man, especially not if there was a chance a pretty blue-eyed waterbender was in his future.

He ducked his head and buried his face in his hands as the others started snickering.

“What was that, nephew?” Iroh asked as the prince muttered something incoherent behind his hands.

“I said I’m about to go set myself on fire,” he mumbled a bit louder.

Sokka let out a guffaw at his friend’s misfortune.

“But if you do that, how are you going to charm all of your women?” he asked, elbowing the prince’s ribs and grinning cheekily at the death glare he received. “Can’t have a whole bunch of disappointed ladies, now can we?” 

Zuko let out a groan and tilted his head skyward.

Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately, with his luck this was destined to blow up in his face somehow – he felt Katara’s hand gently patting his upper back.

“Alright Sokka, that’s enough,” she said as she gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze and he could have sworn he felt his entire body burning at that moment.

If Toph miraculously hadn’t figured out that he maybe had a crush on Katara, she sure as hell did now.

The waterbender let him go, entirely unaware of the effect she had on him (as far as he knew), and she turned back to the fortuneteller.

“Aunt Wu,” she said with a thrill in her voice, “if you have time later, I was wondering if perhaps you could tell us all our fortunes regarding the outcome of the war?”

Her brother scoffed.

“Seriously, Katara? You can’t honestly expect her to know-”

“Actually, I have some time right now,” Aunt Wu interjected, gesturing towards her tent with a wide smile. “If you don’t mind giving me time to set up first, that is.”

Katara turned to the others, grinning.

“Who else is coming with me?”

“I’m in!” Suki volunteered.

“Eh, might as well see what the fuss is about,” Toph added.

Zuko opened his mouth, although he wasn’t sure if he was going to go with them or turn the offer down. Before he could decide, however, Sokka grabbed him by the shoulder and started guiding him away.

“I think we’ll pass,” he said. “C’mon buddy, let’s go find Master Piandao. I still had some questions to ask him about swordbending.”

The prince glanced back and met Katara’s eyes, shrugging helplessly as Sokka prodded him along to follow after Iroh and Pakku. She simply grinned and waved goodbye for now before she and the other girls disappeared inside the tent.

Once they had walked far enough from the fortuneteller’s doorstep to be out of earshot, Sokka wheeled around to face the two masters.

“Okay, seriously?!” he asked, throwing out his arms in exasperation. “How is she a member of the Order? Do you just let anybody in?”

Pakku frowned down at his step-grandson in disapproval.

“You may not believe in her methods, and indeed you have good reason to doubt the validity of fortunetelling,” he scolded. “However, Lady Wu has proven herself as a trusted source of wise counsel and foresight, not to mention she alerted us to your arrival a week ago. When did the Avatar disappear again, exactly?”

Sokka cringed as he responded awkwardly that had been only a few days prior. 

Huh. Maybe there was some truth to the fortuneteller’s predictions after all, Zuko thought. He planned to sneak away at some point and confront her regarding the prediction about Katara, though, and perhaps find some clarity on that.

The last thing he needed was to go into the fight against his family full of turmoil with a confused mind.

So he tuned out the rest of their conversation until they reached his former master, who was busy training a group of soldiers.

~*~*~

Later that afternoon he and Sokka reunited with the girls, who remained tightlipped about what the fortuneteller had predicted, much to their chagrin.

“If you really wanted to know, you should have been there,” Suki retorted. “I’ll say this much, though – she at least predicted that we would win.”

Sokka grumbled something that sounded like _well hooray for that vague prediction_ , which earned him a punch in the arm from Toph.

“I’m with her, Snoozles. You can get mad all you want, but you shoulda been there if you wanted to know that bad.”

Only Katara remained silent, staring off somewhere in the distance with a frown on her face. While the other three were talking – rather, Sokka arguing with the other girls about being secretive – Zuko silently walked up to her.

She didn’t seem to hear him the first or second time he softly called her name, and she jumped slightly when he hesitantly reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Oh… hey,” she said quietly, as if her thoughts were still a million miles away.

His brow furrowed in concern when he realized that she wouldn’t meet his gaze.

“Katara?” he asked softly so only she could hear. “What’s wrong?”

She finally looked up, and he saw then that her blue eyes were overflowing with unshed tears. It took everything in him not to wrap her up in his arms at that moment, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to wipe the corners of her eyes.

He didn’t know why she was upset, only that the sight absolutely shattered his heart and made him desperate enough to do whatever it took to make her smile again.

However, she blinked and forced a wobbly smile up at him.

“It’s… it’s nothing, I’m just being silly,” she mumbled before she pulled away from his grasp and hurried off.

Zuko could only stare after her helplessly, his arm still outstretched, holding on to thin air. The others noticed her departure moments later and hushed immediately.

“What’s with her?” Sokka asked as they watched her disappear from sight.

Suki frowned.

“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out,” she said as she jogged along after her.

The prince exchanged a worried look with her brother before they turned to Toph for answers.

“Don’t look at me,” the earthbender shrugged. “Sugar Queen wanted to talk with Aunt Wu in private afterwards, and she’s been quiet ever since.”

Zuko frowned and crossed his arms, suddenly consumed by a sense of foreboding.

~*~*~

He stomped over to the fortuneteller’s tent that evening, stopping only once he reached the entrance.

Her assistant sat outside, and she let out a squeak when he approached, no doubt looking similar to the angry prince who had stormed through Makapu Village less than a year prior. But that was then, and he had changed for the better over the last several months, Zuko reminded himself.

“Meng,” he said in a clipped tone that left no room for arguing. “I need to see Aunt Wu as soon as possible. Is she in?”

The girl opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as the woman herself opened the tent flaps and emerged.

“Your highness,” Aunt Wu said demurely with a bow. “Please come in, I’ve been expecting you.”

Of course she had, he thought as he stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Now was not the time to be rude – he was on a mission, and everything else would have to wait until he saw it through.

Once they were settled inside, he cut right to the chase before she could even open her mouth.

“I’m here for two reasons, which overlap,” he stated matter-of-factly. “One, what did you say earlier that made Katara so upset? She barely ate at dinner tonight and wouldn’t even look at me, so I want to know what’s wrong since she won’t talk to me.”

He drew a deep breath before he continued, all too aware of his pounding heart.

“Two, I think I’ve finally figured out the answer to that… to that thing you predicted for me the last time we met.”

Aunt Wu raised her eyebrow curiously.

“About…?” she prodded, as if she didn’t already know.

Zuko gritted his teeth. She was really going to make him come out and say it, wasn’t she?

“About my future with Katara,” he said earnestly. “How she’s the one you were telling me about, the other half of the twin souls uniting, or something like that.”

The fortuneteller said nothing, however, watching him solemnly.

“Am I right? She’s the one, then?” he asked, staring into the fire as it crackled and its sparks danced into nothingness up into the vent overhead. “I’ve realized that our fates seem to be tied together, and we balance each other out perfectly…”

The fortuneteller continued to observe the prince with her shrewd gaze, noting how the passage of time had altered more than just his outward appearance.

Back then, he had been haughty and belligerent to conceal a broken heart caused by cruelty, using his rage as a defense mechanism to shield himself from further anguish and misery.

Now, however, she saw how his eyes had flickered nervously towards the Water Tribe girl whenever she was around, how he gazed at her in fondness and admiration.

Perhaps even affection?

She recalled how repulsed the prince had initially been at the thought of possibly falling in love with the girl who now had his heartstrings hopelessly tangled up between her fingertips.

“Katara is the one I’m supposed to end up with, isn’t she?” he continued, gulping in an attempt to calm his nerves. “She’s going to be the love of my life at some point in the future, right? She’s my soulmate?”

Aunt Wu watched somberly as he closed his eyes in anticipation, and the faintest hint of a hopeful smile washed over his face in spite of himself.

Best not to drag it out, then, she supposed, and leave the poor boy dangling helplessly.

“No,” the fortuneteller replied quietly. “She’s not.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't had a chance to respond to all of the comments yet, but I think it's safe to say I killed a bunch of people with that cliffhanger. Oops. Hopefully, this chapter will make sense of it all! 
> 
> I switched up the format for this one - we're flashing back to Katara's private meeting with Aunt Wu, then going back to the present for Zuko's, then back for Katara's, and so on. If the formatting is confusing let me know, and I'll figure out how to make it easier to read. 
> 
> Also, I tried to give our girl a valid reason to run out INTO THE MIDDLE OF A COMET-BOOSTED AGNI KAI BETWEEN TWO POWERFUL FIREBENDERS, ONE OF WHICH BENDS LIGHTNING and put herself directly in harm's way. You'll see what I mean later in the chapter. (Yeah, that part has always bugged me - Katara, whyyy?)
> 
> But anyways, without further ado...

Katara waited all of five seconds after Toph and Suki left the fortuneteller’s tent and she heard them conversing outside with Meng before she pounced.

“I know that last time, I probably drove you a bit crazy with all of my questions,” she began excitedly, smoothing out her dress. “But now, I only have a couple of things that I’m curious about.”

Aunt Wu raised her eyebrows.

She could tell that the girl was just as inquisitive as ever about the future, and she suspected that more questions would follow regardless. No doubt they would have something to do about the nature of her relationship with the Fire Prince, who at least had learned his manners since their last encounter.

He had finally grown into the type of man worthy of the waterbender’s affections, someone far kinder who was willing to admit his past transgressions and support her no matter what.

(If nothing else, Aunt Wu mused with a smirk, he had at least grown out a much more aesthetically pleasing head of hair.)

Fate had brought those two together time and time again over the last year, and Aunt Wu sensed that the moment they finally realized the magnitude of their connection was at hand… but all in due time.

The fortuneteller gestured towards a small urn of bones, describing to Katara how they were her most foolproof method of reading one’s fortunes.

“This is also what I used during Avatar Aang and Prince Zuko’s sessions when they visited me,” Aunt Wu explained.

Katara seemed fascinated by this information, and she spent a long moment perusing over the bones before making her selection and carefully throwing it into the fire.

At first, nothing happened.

Then the fire burned faintly brighter.

The girl bit her lip in anticipation as both watched the flames scorch the bone until it cracked.

Aunt Wu prodded at the embers, murmuring that although her vision was still cloaked in darkness, she was beginning to see something come into focus now…

 _WHOOSH_.

Both recoiled and shielded their faces as the bone _exploded_ , splintering entirely, and a burst of fire erupted in its place and consumed it until nothing remained.

Even though the flames roared ferociously, Katara felt a thrill run down her spine. She knew next to nothing about the more intricate details of fortunetelling, but surely this signified something momentous about her future.

Once it died down, Katara lowered her arms from her face and stared into the glowing embers inside the still smoldering firepit, breathless.

“What was… _wow_ ,” she gasped, eagerly swiveling her head towards the fortuneteller. “Did you see that?! What does that…”

Katara’s voice died down when she noticed the panicked look on her companion’s face. The older woman was panting and gawking at her in bewilderment.

“Aunt Wu?” she asked in concern. “Are you alright?”

Suddenly self-conscious, Katara looked to make sure she hadn’t caught fire somehow or turned into a purple platypus bear or something. When she determined that nothing was amiss, she eyed the fortuneteller with a growing sense of dread.

“Please Aunt Wu, it’s going to be okay,” she soothed. “What’s wrong? What did that explosion mean?”

However, the fortuneteller shook her head and rubbed her eyes in disbelief. How could she have not seen it before? This changed everything!

“O… _Oma_ ,” the old woman croaked out, her voice barely audible. “It… it can’t be.”

Katara’s brows shot up as she eyed Aunt Wu suspiciously.

“Wait, what did you just say?” she asked, wondering if her ears had deceived her.

Why did Aunt Wu look like she’d just seen a ghost, much less call her by that name? However, the fortuneteller shook her head once more, staring at the girl sitting nervously before her.

“My apologies dear child, I said, ‘oh my,’” Aunt Wu lied, her voice abruptly slipping into a silky tone that was a bit too convincing to be real.

Katara didn’t believe her for a second, and now she was starting to feel worried as well. Something wasn’t right, otherwise why would the fortuneteller act in such a way?

~*~*~

Zuko had been in more fights over the course of his life than he could recall, especially once he had been banished just over three years ago.

He’d received uppercuts to the jaw, been punched in the stomach and had the wind completely knocked out of him, and unfortunately even received a few low blows that left him doubled over while wincing helplessly and fighting back tears.

Then there was the time he’d survived an actual explosion that completely obliterated his ship, somehow clinging steadfastly to life with nothing worse than bruises all over and a black eye.

Yet somehow, none of that compared to the sudden agony that swept over him just then.

All he could do was stare at the fortuneteller, absolutely dumbfounded, his heart stopping entirely for a moment before beating furiously against his ribs.

“What?” he asked in a low, dangerous voice. “You mean to tell me that she’s _not_ my soulmate?”

Aunt Wu’s solemn expression turned into one of pity.

“You misunderstood me, your highness. Whether or not she is your soulmate is irrelevant. A moment ago, you asked if she was the one you were supposed to end up with.”

His hands twitched, smoke rising from his fingertips as his brow furrowed, and she continued.

“I’m quite sorry to say that I was mistaken when I made my previous prediction regarding your future. She _is_ indeed the love of your life, but you two are _not_ destined to be together, at least not in this lifetime.”

~*~*~

Outside of the fortuneteller’s tent, Suki clapped her hand over her mouth as she suppressed a gasp of astonishment.

Even though her companion couldn’t see her reaction, she glanced over at Toph and noticed that the younger girl’s pale mint-colored eyes were blown wide open as well.

The earthbender’s jaw had also fallen open in shock, completely agape, and for once it seemed like she didn’t have a retort ready to spout out.

The two of them hadn’t originally planned to eavesdrop on Zuko’s conversation with the fortuneteller. However, they noticed something had been bothering both him and Katara since those two had briefly spoken together that afternoon.

Since Katara refused to tell any of them what was wrong, the pair had decided they’d just have to snoop around to figure out what was going on, by any means necessary. Curiosity got the best of them when they saw him stalking away after dinner, and they managed to follow along without tipping him off.

With the mood he was in, however, they wondered if he would have even acknowledged their presence anyways.

After the Fire Prince had disappeared inside, they slipped between the row of tents behind Aunt Wu’s and settled down near the ground to listen in, with Toph acting as lookout for nearby footsteps should anyone stumble upon them.

Neither of them put much stock in fortunetelling, truth be told, although they had found Aunt Wu’s predictions utterly fascinating earlier.

They had also agreed that, while they would support Katara’s decision whole-heartedly as long as she was happy, both secretly thought she and Zuko would be an excellent match.

But based on that stunning revelation they just overheard from Aunt Wu, apparently that was no longer the case.

The girls cautiously pressed their ears closer to the outside of the tent to listen in once more.

~*~*~

Katara gulped and scooted away from the fire, staring into the flames as they blazed and crackled.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she sensed that whatever else the old woman was about to say, it surely was not good.

Aunt Wu gathered her thoughts and took a deep breath to steady herself.

“My dear… I apologize for my extreme reaction, it’s just… I never expected to see this outcome, certainly not in my lifetime, and it took me by surprise.”

She exhaled and continued, mulling over her next words carefully.

“The last time I saw you, I predicted that you would have a great romance one day,” Aunt Wu began solemnly.

Then she stopped, as if she didn’t want to continue.

Katara couldn’t shake the feeling that something was _wrong_ , yet she erred on the side of optimism all the same.

“Is… is it Zuko?” she whispered hopefully. “He’s the powerful bender you told me about last time, isn’t he? I once thought it might be Aang but lately, I’ve…”

She trailed off, clasping her hands over her mouth and gasping softly in amazement when the old woman confirmed it with a quick nod, unable to meet her gaze.

The waterbender knew something was not right about this whole situation, yet she couldn’t help but giggle like a silly lovestruck girl, her mind racing.

 _It’s him_ , she thought with a blush, _he’s the one_.

If only she could go back in time and tell her younger self this, she mused. The Katara from several months ago would never have believed it.

A part of her still didn’t believe it _now_ but knowing for certain filled her with a sense of giddiness and even relief.

Katara wanted to race outside, find the Fire Prince, and leap into his arms, much like she had the first time she’d ever hugged him on the docks of Ember Island. She wanted to bury her fingers between the silky dark locks of his hair, pull his face down towards hers, and…

But she was getting ahead of herself.

~*~*~

The Fire Prince was well aware of his own hypocrisy.

Only a few months prior he would have been relieved to find out that the waterbender he’d often fought against in the past was not the one he was destined to end up with. 

But at that moment, he didn’t _care_.

“What do you mean?” he asked harshly, forcing himself to remain calm even as he exhaled dark wisps of smoke. “I thought you said that our love would be legendary and inspire others for generations to come. I thought -”

“Unfortunately, your highness, not even I am accurate all of the time,” she interrupted quietly. “Please allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for the distress I’ve clearly caused you.”

Zuko’s mind was reeling, and he was thankful that he was already sitting down. Flames flickered to life within his palms, although he closed his fists to snuff them out immediately as he reminded himself to breathe in and breathe out, slowly, slowly…

He should have known better than to get his hopes up. It had only been a matter of time before it blew up in his face, just like everything else always did.

Of course once he finally let his guard down and allowed himself to be optimistic towards the future, once he let himself imagine what a peaceful life with Katara would be like after the war…

… it was cruelly snatched right out of his fingertips and crumpled into nothing while he could only watch helplessly…

 _No_ , he thought as he gritted his teeth in an unexpected blaze of ferocity. _Not again._

He refused to just sit idly by – he never gave up without a fight, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.

Not when he’d been offered a glimmer of happiness and had it taken away before he could even reach out for it.

“You saw glimpses of my childhood and secrets that I’ve never told another soul about,” he said in a dark voice, willing himself to not lose his temper. “You told me last time that there were two different outcomes for me, that I would either end up in a loveless marriage of convenience or with a woman who would be the love of my life. What changed since then?”

Aunt Wu let out a sigh. She knew the answer, of course, but she couldn’t tell him exactly what she’d seen earlier. Instead, she would have to guide him towards it with only a few hints, just as she had done with the waterbender.

“Earlier this afternoon, I read Katara’s fortune once more and made a devastating discovery,” she explained sadly.

He tilted his head quizzically.

“Which is…?”

The old woman closed her eyes and again saw the image of the prince’s body convulsing, straining his weakened arm out towards Katara even as lightning pulsed throughout his veins.

In her vision, Zuko was utterly powerless to protect the girl from the maniacally laughing Fire Princess, and his heart thudded along weakly, irreparably damaged and moments away from stopping forever.

How could the fortuneteller possibly explain any of that, though? That he would perish mere days from now, consumed by agony as he burned alive from the inside out?

Aunt Wu had hardly believed it earlier when she realized exactly who the waterbender had been in her previous lives; yet as she studied the prince before her, no doubts remained in her mind of who he had been in the past, either. 

How could she tell him that he was destined to die for the woman he loved, just like he had lifetimes over and over as far back as his first incarnation, now buried in a tomb outside of the city named for him and his fallen lover?

“The future is ever-changing, just like the clouds themselves – nothing is set in stone,” she chose to say instead. “I am a fortuneteller, your highness, and I am gifted with the sight of perceiving fortunes, not the future itself. I see all outcomes, from the least likely to the inevitable. I merely made you aware of other paths but _you_ alone are responsible for choosing which one to take.”

Aunt Wu paused and smiled not unkindly, although that did little to console him.

“Normally, I tell my clients that while I make predictions, ultimately they have the power to shape their own destinies. However, you stormed out last time before I could get to that part.”

His fists were shaking now, as he fought to quell his rage. 

“So… even though she’s supposed to be the love of my life, the one I’ll want to sacrifice everything for someday… you’re telling me that -”

The fortuneteller cut him off.

“ _Do_ you want to give up everything else you hold dear for this girl?” she asked, effectively silencing him. “Your country, your throne, your chance to rise up as Fire Lord once the war ends?”

He faltered, opening his mouth to speak although no words escaped.

“I… I don’t know,” he confessed, staring at the ground. 

~*~*~

Katara took several deep breaths to calm her fluttering heart and smoothed out her own hair, which had frizzed slightly thanks to the sudden heat from the fire earlier.

“Does… does he have any idea?” she asked, feeling her cheeks flush as she fidgeted with her dress, self-conscious of her appearance for some reason. “Should I wait until he figures it out on his own, or can I drop hints, because I’m pretty sure he likes me too but I could be completely wrong…”

Katara trailed off once more, noting how the older woman had covered her face with her palms, and something heavy settled in her stomach.

“Aunt Wu?” she asked again softly, cautiously extending her hand to pat her arm gently. “Please tell me, what’s wrong? Why are you acting like this?”

The fortuneteller raised her head and stared off in the distance in silence before a look of grim determination overtook her face.

“I shouldn’t tell you what I’m about to,” Aunt Wu said in a low voice, “it goes against my policy of directly interfering with the outcome of the future… but given the circumstances, it would be far crueler to let you walk into the inferno blindly.”

She dusted herself off and squared her shoulders back, and she looked like anything but the foolish old gossip that many mistook her as. The old woman fixed her steady gaze upon Katara and let out a regretful sigh.

“You two will have a great romance, my child, but it will be tragically short-lived…”

Katara narrowed her eyes.

“How short-lived are we talking?” she asked.

Aunt Wu looked down at her sympathetically. She had mentally been preparing herself over the last several minutes and deciding upon the gentlest way to deliver the blow.

Sadly, there was no easy way to say what she was about to tell the girl sitting before her, blue eyes wide with hope and fear.

Katara had braced herself for the worst, yet she was entirely unprepared for what came next.

“He will be dead within a week’s time.”

~*~*~

The fortuneteller observed the Fire Prince in silence for some minutes before she spoke again.

“I have more questions for you, your highness, and they might provide some clarity,” she said. “Are you disappointed because you feel as though you were promised something, only to have it revoked at the last minute? Or have you genuinely come to care for the girl?”

He frowned and clenched his fists once more, his knuckles crackling.

Of _course_ he cared for Katara, even after their antagonistic beginnings and the troubled paths they had taken to reach this point. He had learned to admire her first as an ally, then as a friend, then perhaps as something more.

Before he could answer, though, the fortuneteller resumed her inquiries.

“Or, if I may put it bluntly, do you want to be with her because that’s what you were told was your destiny, or because you cannot see yourself living without her?”

A million thoughts raced through his mind, and a million more rested on the tip of his tongue. Yet he visibly deflated and wiped his hands down his face in defeat.

If he was being perfectly honest with himself, he still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about possibly ending up with Katara. A part of him was still hesitant at the thought of falling in love with her one day, although another voice whispered that letting her go would be the greatest mistake of his life.

Aunt Wu made a sound of sympathy as she prodded at the embers, sending sparks floating up into the vent.

“My sincerest apologies again, Prince Zuko. Unfortunately, such is the nature of fortunetelling – it is nearly impossible to see the future clearly, even for the most gifted among us. However, you have yet to answer my questions. How do you feel about the girl?”

The answer passed his lips before he was even aware that he was speaking.

“I care about her and I want to be with her because she’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” he blurted out, unable to stop the words from spilling out. “She’s always selfless and never hesitates to stand up for those in need. When we were still enemies, she even offered to heal my scar with sacred water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole.”

The prince drew a ragged breath as he rose to his feet, towering over the older woman who watched him with a gleam in her eyes.

“ _Me_ , the prince of the nation that decimated hers. Me, the angry jerk who terrorized her and her friends during my search for the Avatar. How many people would offer to do something like that for their sworn enemy?

“Then, even after I betrayed her trust and helped bring about the fall of Ba Sing Se and the Avatar’s temporary death, somehow she found it in her heart to forgive me in the end. Katara showed me kindness and absolution when I least deserved it, and you’re still wondering how I could have possibly fallen for -”

Zuko’s mouth instantly clamped shut as he realized the gravity of what he’d almost confessed out loud, and he took a few steps backwards as if he’d been shoved.

So that was it, then.

Even though they were not destined to be together in the end, he’d fallen for her anyways.

From outside the tent, the two teen girls listening in had to work hard to stifle their screams, settling on elbowing each other in amazement instead. Whenever they had a chance to speak again, they had _so_ much to discuss and shriek over.

Inside the tent, Aunt Wu suppressed her own smirk of triumph. She of course had been aware of the two eavesdroppers from the very beginning, and once her current meeting had concluded, she would bring them inside, having them sworn into secrecy for the time being.

Some things were better left unknown until the opportune moment presented itself, and what was greater than discovering the answers to life’s curiosities for oneself?

For now, however, her priorities remained focused on the prince who stood before her, rendered speechless by his almost-admission.

~*~*~

Katara’s heart lurched and seemed to lodge itself between her ribs.

Breathing became difficult, and the heat caused by the fire’s blaze earlier suddenly became unbearable. She bit her lip harder than she meant to and tasted blood.

 _No_.

The waterbender scrambled to her feet, her fists curled as they hung by their sides.

“I won’t let that happen,” she gritted out. “I’ll do whatever it takes to save him.”

The fortuneteller watched the righteously angry girl standing before her, and her lips curled into a hint of smile.

Perhaps this time might be different, she thought hopefully…

“How does it happen?” Katara was asking, pacing around inside the tent aimlessly. “I know you probably can’t tell me the specifics, but I refuse to sit back and watch him die, not if I can do anything to save him.”

She stopped and folded her arms, frowning down at her companion. Aunt Wu returned it with one of her own, her eyes narrowing.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you -” she began.

All of the liquid inside of the tent froze over.

“Yes, you _will_ , Aunt Wu,” Katara snarled. “You’ve already broken whatever set of rules you had by telling me that he’s going to die. Might as well break them even further, because I’m not leaving here until you explain what happens so I can figure out how to prevent it.”

Her companion said nothing, instead raising her eyebrow. Katara sighed and sat down in front of the firepit again, deciding to try a different approach.

She melted all of the liquids she’d frozen and clasped her hands together in her lap as in supplication. 

“Please, I’m _begging_ you,” Katara pleaded desperately. “Even if he wasn’t my soulmate in a sense, I can’t just watch him die. Please help me. Please help me save Zuko.”

The fortuneteller observed the girl before her, knowing she would stop at absolutely nothing to save the boy she loved.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.

The two lovers from opposing sides were simply never allowed to find each other and live happily ever after, regardless of the outcome. No matter which lifetime they were reincarnated into, whether it was Oma and Shu or the waterbender and the Fire Prince – the song remained the same.

Fate had decreed that the two may interact but never unite, although others would be inspired by their love.

“Even if I tell you, and you do save his life, you will still be parted from each other,” Aunt Wu said. “Your destinies are parallel to each other but never intersecting, just out of reach, never to meet.”

Katara inhaled sharply.

“What are you talking about?” she asked sternly.

Aunt Wu reached out and took her small hands in hers, squeezing them as consolingly as possible.

“You two may love each other, but you are not fated to be together, no matter what happens,” the fortuneteller explained gently. “Even if you save him, you still cannot be with him.”

Aunt Wu watched as the girl absorbed all of this, saw how a multitude of emotions flashed across her face.

Finally, she saw that Katara decided that she didn’t _care_ , and her hopes for them both soared.

“How do I save him?” the girl asked, swallowing her fears and squaring her shoulders back in determination. “Even if we can’t be together, I will _not_ stand aside and let him die. I don’t care what I have to do; I will save him, and I dare fate or any higher power to stop me.”

There was a twinkle in the old woman’s eyes upon hearing this, although she quickly blinked it away.

“You truly believe he is worth it, don’t you?” she asked.

Katara nodded earnestly.

“He’s _always_ worth it.”

Aunt Wu beamed upon hearing this. She prodded at the fire, causing another bundle of flames to spit upwards, although these were tamer than the conflagration from earlier.

The particulars themselves were foggy, although she was able to make out the bigger details.

“He will face off against his sister Princess Azula for the throne and his birthright to be crowned Fire Lord,” the fortuneteller said after examining what remained of the bone. “Near the end of the battle, she will fire a blast of lightning at him, directly striking his heart. That is how he is destined to die.”

The waterbender’s brow furrowed as she listened, and her blood ran cold as she took in these words. Finally, she spoke in barely above a whisper.

“So… if I intercede and save him from Azula’s lightning, his life will be spared?”

Her companion nodded solemnly.

Katara mulled this over in silence before nodding curtly. Then she bowed politely and thanked Aunt Wu for her time, wiping the edges of her eyes before she walked outside to join her friends.

~*~*~

It had been unavoidable in hindsight, Zuko realized.

Even with the knowledge of its impending approach, he’d been powerless to resist the tidal wave that slammed into him, knocking him over and pulling him under.

If Katara wasn’t the one, why did his heart tell him otherwise? Why did he dream of her most nights lately, and why did his day instantly grow brighter whenever he saw her smile?

Zuko covered his face with his hands and exhaled slowly, willing his erratic heartbeat to settle down.

“Aunt Wu?” he asked in a timid voice most unlike his usual brusque tone. “Are… are you absolutely positive that our destiny is to be separated, no matter what? That there’s absolutely no chance we will ever have a happy ending together?”

His hands fell to his sides and curled into fists, flexing his knuckles.

She examined his face closely, noting how it had become paler than normal and how his breathing grew labored, yet his golden eyes blazed like an inferno.

“That I cannot say,” the fortuneteller sighed. “What I do know, though, is that while I have seen multiple paths for you and Miss Katara, the outcome is always the same. You will be torn apart from each other. That is how it will end every time.”

Aunt Wu saw the crestfallen look upon the prince’s face, although he attempted to steel himself against breaking down in despair, nonetheless.

Then she saw him decide that destiny and fate be _damned_ – he loved Katara, and he would never stop fighting for that girl until the day he died.

 _Perfect_ , the fortuneteller thought as she held back a sigh of relief.

Her plan that she had formulated during her meeting with Katara earlier was progressing exactly as she had hoped.

Perhaps things would work out this time at last, and the two star-crossed lovers would finally live happily ever after in this lifetime after numerous failed attempts over the centuries. 

They would have to fight like hell, but maybe they could finally achieve it. Aunt Wu was not a gambling woman, despite her profession, but if she had to place any bets, it would certainly be on them.

“That being said,” she continued, “I was under the impression that you did not believe in fortunes, your highness. As I said before, you have the power to shape your own destiny. The question now is what path will _you_ choose?”

He hesitated for only a moment before he set his jaw in resignation and nodded his head curtly. Then he wordlessly turned on his heel and pushed through the flaps of the tent.

“Prince Zuko,” she called out and he stopped in the entrance, hand holding the fabric aside, not even turning to look back. “Protect her at all costs. Your life may depend upon it in the end.”

He lowered his head and exhaled slowly.

“I would even if it didn’t,” he vowed quietly. “I’d die for her if I had to.” 

And then he was gone.

~*~*~

The fortuneteller waited until the Fire Prince was safely out of earshot before she swatted at the side of the tent.

Somehow she managed to hit both of the two eavesdroppers, who were still hanging around outside, and the girls yelped loudly in surprise.

“You can come in now, Suki and Toph,” she called out. “I’m sure you both have questions.”

Both girls appeared in her doorway moments later, grinning sheepishly. Meng stood behind them, apologizing for not realizing their presence earlier, but the fortuneteller merely waved her assistant off with a smile.

“It’s no matter, my dear,” she assured her. “However, would you mind giving us three a moment alone, please?”

Meng nodded in understanding. Once she disappeared from sight, the other two girls settled down in front of the fire before her.

“Sooo…” Toph began, trailing off.

“Um, yeah,” Suki added. “I’m not sure where to start… are you seriously telling me that they’re going to fall in love with each other? As in, great epic romance kind of love?”

Aunt Wu smiled serenely. It was a bit too late for Katara and Zuko both, she mused inwardly. They were already irrevocably in love, although neither of them would admit it aloud until the day of the comet.

“All will make sense in the near future,” she promised the girls. “But for now, I can tell you this – events have been set into motion that cannot be undone or altered. If the spirts bless them both, perhaps those two will finally be together at last.”

Both girls tilted their heads in confusion.

“What do you mean, _at last_?” Suki asked.

“You make it sound like this has been going on longer than the past few months,” Toph said. “Believe me, I’d know if that were the case.” 

_More like the past several centuries_ , the fortuneteller thought sardonically although she said nothing on that matter.

“You can’t always fight fate,” Aunt Wu concluded mysteriously, “but with a little insight and a lot of determination, perhaps you can change your destiny after all.”

She certainly hoped they would finally be able to, at least.

The fortuneteller had planted certain seeds of inspiration in both Katara and Zuko’s minds to aid them in their quest; now it was all out of her hands.

It was now entirely up to the long-separated twin souls to see this through and end up together at long last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, y'all. I'm pulling out the "Zutara is a reincarnation of Oma and Shu" card and setting fire to whatever nonsense explanation canon gave us instead. In this fic, the souls of Oma and Shu are reincarnated over and over, trying to reunite throughout various lifetimes, although they're never successful - something always prevents them from being together, whether it's a war or some other reason. 
> 
> But this time, they've got a fortuneteller on their side, who's perfectly willing to bend the rules to help them live happily ever after at last. As I added to the tags, Aunt Wu's seen this film before and she didn't like the ending.
> 
> I'm thinking of adding an epilogue, maybe even another chapter before then? Still deciding. But what I can say for certain is that our poor flustered Fire Prince will be receiving lots of kisses from his soon-to-be waterbender girlfriend to make him feel better, especially after getting roasted mercilessly all throughout this fic.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I got such an evil satisfaction seeing the freakout at the cliffhanger from chapter 3 (all of the “WTF bro” responses still have me cracking up, sorry not sorry y'all), please consider these 5K+ words of pure fluff as penance.

Zuko gazed out of his bedroom window through groggy, half-lidded eyes, taking in the sight that lay below him.

He let out a sigh and leaned back against the windowsill where he sat, one knee propped up and supporting an arm, the other dangling with his foot resting on the floor to keep him balanced.

The view hadn’t changed much over the years, although now that he was older and grown larger, he wasn’t able to completely fit on the ledge anymore.

As a boy he’d loved to watch the city from this perch, and it became a place of refuge after his mother disappeared up until his exile. After his banishment was revoked he’d often return to this spot, though at the time it provided little solace from his conflicted mind. 

The capital city was already a stunning scene around this time of day, with its red and gilded rooftops bathed and glimmering in the rays of the golden sunset. But now, combined with the dying light of Sozin’s Comet fading in the distance... his home was breathtaking. 

_Home_ , he thought with a smile. He was finally _home_ and unlike before, this time it felt right.

Part of that could be due to who was with him too, Zuko supposed, although he knew better than to expect it to last for much longer. There was simply too much that needed to be done rebuilding the world for Katara to stay here after his upcoming coronation, even if he asked her to…

The thought made his weakened heart ache more than it already did, so he tried to push it out of his mind for now and focus on other things. He trailed his fingers through his hair, still damp from his post-battle bath earlier.

Against all odds, he had won. His sister was defeated, and he would be crowned Fire Lord.

But most importantly, Katara was safe.

Even if they were destined to be parted in the end, even if he had to watch her choose to spend this lifetime as the Avatar’s bride or in someone else’s arms instead… at least she had remained unharmed throughout the final battle.

It was already more than he could have had hoped for, he thought grimly.

Aunt Wu had confirmed that the waterbender would be the love of his life, but they could never be together, that they would always be torn apart, and that was how it was always destined to play out.

However, Katara hadn’t shied away from his affections earlier. He had kissed every inch of her hand in gratitude and interlaced his fingers with hers – that soft hand, so delicate and perfect compared to his, that stole him back from the icy grip of death.

It had been the first time he’d truly allowed himself to be completely vulnerable towards her, not counting several nights ago when she’d reassured him outside of his uncle’s tent.

This time, he had set his heart before her like a gift within his shaking palms to be accepted or rejected. Yet, he hadn’t felt the expected rush of terror in doing so – it had been one of the easiest decisions of his life, second only to the sacrifice he’d made on her behalf mere minutes earlier.

When it came down to it, he hadn’t hesitated to place her above all else he held dear, ready to give it all up at a moment’s notice.

And it didn’t take a fortuneteller’s predictions to decipher what that meant regarding the nature of his feelings towards Katara.

If she would have him, if she decided that she wanted a future with him, he would never stop fighting to make that happen, destiny by damned.

The question that remained now was if she felt the same way as he did.

~*~*~

He was abruptly shaken from his thoughts by a hesitant knock on his door, which turned out to be none other than the subject herself of his musings.

Her head poked through the crack in the doorway, almost uncertainly.

“I was just swinging by to check on you and see if your bandages needed…” she began.

Then Katara trailed off when she saw him out of bed.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her none-too-gently and immediately put her hands on her hips, brow furrowing.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” she scolded, all traces of nervousness gone and replaced by anger born of worry. “What are you doing up?”

He grinned and beckoned her over. Once she saw the scenery, he had a feeling she’d change her tune in a heartbeat.

“And miss out on this view?”

Just as he expected, her scowl lifted and was replaced by a look of awe when she reached the window. Her mouth fell open and her sapphire eyes widened as she took in the sight of the glowing lights of the city, shining a bit brighter as twilight began to set in.

“Oh,” she breathed, pressing her nose and fingertips against the glass, fogging it up with her breath. “It’s beautiful.”

Zuko nodded, letting his gaze rest on her for a moment longer, her features illuminated by the warmth of the setting sun. When their eyes met he gestured towards the other side of the windowsill, and she settled down across from him, mimicking his pose.

She had also bathed, letting her hair flow down in loose waves that were already dried – one of the perks of bending water, he supposed.

He was struck once more by how beautiful she looked especially in this light, just like he always did whenever he saw her these days.

Katara had changed into her stolen Fire Nation outfit for the time being, and he decided that for a Water Tribe girl, red was undoubtedly one of her colors. The palace staff must have also given her lotions directly from the royal spa, as the scent of fire lilies followed her movements.

He was tempted to lean forward and capture her lips with his, pulling her closer until she was in his arms and no space remained between them.

Instead, he nodded and turned his head away to look out over the city with her.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly, leaning back against the windowsill once more, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “There’s something about it that makes you feel so peaceful. This has been one of my favorite views ever since I was a kid.”

They exchanged a friendly smile and resumed taking in the scenery in a comfortable silence for a while longer.

Finally she stood up and extended her hand out to him.

“Come on, Zuko,” she pleaded. “You almost died a few hours ago and you really need to get some rest.”

“I’m fine,” he protested, even as he let himself be pulled upright.

He flinched and suppressed a groan as his chest constricted in pain and he started to sway once he was standing. Katara was instantly at his side, slipping her shoulder underneath his arm and wrapping hers around his upper back for support.

“You were saying?” she asked smugly with a knowing wink up at him. 

“Okay, okay, you were right,” he grumbled as she helped him slowly hobble away from the window. “If bossing me around truly makes you that happy, far be it from me to deny you.”

She flashed him a grin that split her face clean in half.

“It does, actually,” she said. “Nothing brings me more joy than telling the next Fire Lord what to do, your worshipfulness.” 

Zuko rolled his eyes but chuckled, nonetheless. He’d never admit it out loud, but he did like whenever she took charge – most of the time.

“Well, it’s hard to argue with someone who’s clearly that desperate to get me into bed…” he began haughtily.

Then he froze when he realized exactly _what_ he’d just implied, and his face turned multiple shades of crimson as all of the blood in his body rushed to his head.

Katara just stared up at him, blinking and opening her mouth before immediately closing it.

“Oh… no,” he groaned. “I’m _so_ sorry, I didn’t mean it like…”

Thankfully, she burst into laughter after many moments of agonizing silence that seemed to last lifetimes. The sound reverberated throughout both of their bodies as she was still tucked safely under his arm. 

At least she wasn’t offended, although Zuko was far too mortified to take any comfort in that particular detail at the moment.

“I am so, so sorry…” he mumbled again, pulling away from her and plopping down on the edge of the bed, burying his face in his hands.

She just giggled, and he felt a dip in the mattress as she too settled down beside him. Then he felt her lean against him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he stopped breathing altogether.

Should he wrap his arm around her, or was that too presumptuous, or…?

Agni help him, he’d never been this awkward with Mai, not even when they’d first started dating. Then again, he hadn’t been head over heels for her either.

Slightly nervous at the beginning, yes.

Tongue-tied like an idiot, no.

“I’m not upset,” Katara assured him, patting his back gently. “I know exactly what you meant. It’s okay, Zuko.”

He lifted his head and gave her a grateful smile, even though his cheeks were still flushed. Before he could speak, though, she continued.

“Still, I’m curious – is that the line you use on all the ladies whenever you’re trying to seduce them?” she teased with a smirk.

“Katara,” he groaned, covering his face again in embarrassment.

“Maybe you don’t need those lessons from your uncle on how to charm women, after all-”

“Katara.”

“I can see it now – Fire Lord Zuko, savior of the Fire Nation and the ultimate ladies’ man, breaker of women’s hearts worldwide -”

“ _Katara_.”

“Although there’s an easy fix, you know – you could just start up your own harem! I’m sure His Fieriness has lots of loving to go around -”

“Katara!”

She stopped and burst into unbridled laughter again, her fingernails lightly tracing circles on his back, taunting him in more ways than one.

The utterly mortified prince let out another groan and fell backwards on the bed, wishing desperately that he could set himself on fire. Just when things had been going so well, he had to go and ruin the moment by sticking his stupid foot in his stupid mouth.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Katara giggled and lightly poked his side.

“Lighten up, Sifu Hotman, I’m only teasing,” she said. “It’s how I show affection.”

“I’d rather you punch me just like Toph does,” he retorted from behind his hands.

A nice uppercut to the jaw or anything that knocked him unconscious for the rest of his life would be preferable, actually.

She nudged him, and he uncovered his eyes warily, peering at her over his fingertips.

“Will you forgive me if I heal your chest a bit more?” she offered, flashing him a winning smile.

How could he possibly say no to that face, much less continue sulking?

~*~*~

He let out a hiss in spite of himself as she carefully unwrapped the bandages and exposed his wound to open air, still raw despite her healing earlier.

She helped him ease down against the mattress, resting his head atop the thick pillows, and she settled down beside him on the bed, tucking her legs to the side.

Katara’s eyes narrowed in concentration as she called forth a disc of water, and it glowed blue once she lowered it to the star-shaped burn on his chest. He hissed again at the initial contact, although the pain soon faded.

“How’s that?” she asked softly after several minutes of silence.

Her playful nature from earlier had vanished entirely, replaced now by guilt and perhaps self-loathing.

The sight of her huddled by his side, breathing heavily as she healed him and blinking back tears, made his heart ache all over again. He’d happily take her taunting over this remorsefulness, no question about it.

“That feels better,” he mumbled, propping himself up on his elbows. “Katara, what’s wrong?”

She released a ragged breath, unable to meet his gaze.

“This is all my fault,” she whispered, ducking her head. “If I hadn’t run out there, you never would have -”

“Katara, no,” he insisted, sitting upright with a grunt and a grimace. “What happened wasn’t your fault. Besides, if you hadn’t been there, I would have died.”

She shook her head, and he saw a few teardrops escape from her eyes, gravitating towards the water healing his chest.

“You almost died _because_ of me, because you were too busy trying to protect me,” she argued. “If I had just stayed put like I should have to begin with, if I hadn’t made myself an easy target…”

“Katara.”

“I was so, so stupid,” she choked out, shaking her head, keeping her healing hands securely in place over his wound. “I never should have listened to Aunt Wu…”

His eyes narrowed intently.

Is that what this was all about? He never learned what the fortuneteller had told Katara when he’d confronted her several nights ago. Rather, he’d been too caught off guard by the revelation about his own destiny.

“Katara,” he said calmly, even though the faintest wisps of smoke escaped from his nostrils. “What did she tell you?”

She trembled and used a hand to bend the tears away from her face before she finally met his gaze.

“Do you remember the day after we arrived at the camp, when I met with her along with Suki and Toph? I stuck around afterwards to ask her a few more personal questions about my future…”

He nodded along patiently, knowing this information already but reluctant to interrupt her.

“… and she told me that…”

Her eyes clenched shut and she pursed her lips together, shivering.

Zuko was unable to stop himself from reaching out and brushing a stray lock of soft brown hair away from her face. Katara’s eyes fluttered open at the unexpected contact, blinking in surprise.

But she didn’t pull back or push his hand away, so he slowly repeated the motion, relishing the way his fingers felt trailing through her locks.

He gave her a tired smile and paused his ministrations long enough to cup her cheek for a fraction of a second. Her sapphire eyes went wide, watching him in astonishment, and he reluctantly let his hand fall back towards the bed.

At least she had calmed down, he thought with a small sense of satisfaction.

“What did she say?” he asked softly. “It’s okay, Katara, you can tell me.”

She exhaled slowly, adjusting her hands slightly as they hovered over his chest. The water glowed a bit bluer and felt cooler than it had moments ago.

“Aunt Wu told me that you and Azula were going to face off for the throne, and that she was going to kill you at the end of the battle… by hitting you in the heart with lightning.”

The prince frowned upon hearing this but said nothing, letting her continue.

“She told me that I could save you, though, if I intervened. That’s why I ran out, so I could stop her. Then I realized that your sister was aiming at _me_ , and when I saw you leap out and catch the lightning, I realized that you were going to be shot in the heart anyways, and it was all my fault…”

Katara bit her lip and ducked her head again.

“So… it was a self-fulfilling prophecy?” he finished for her, and she nodded miserably. Then a horrible thought occurred to him. “Wait, did Aunt Wu _actually_ tell you to run out into the middle of a comet-boosted Agni Kai?”

If he found out that the fortuneteller had encouraged Katara to put herself in harm’s way, he was going to make sure that senile old woman paid dearly. Then he remembered himself and exhaled slowly to settle down.

That was what the old prince would have done, Zuko reminded himself. Not anymore.

The waterbender blinked a few times, oblivious to the momentarily dark path his mind had taken just now. 

“Well, no, I guess she didn’t,” Katara admitted. “She just said that you were going to be struck in the heart with Azula’s lightning, and that’s how you would be killed.”

“Hmph.”

Zuko supposed he had to give the old woman some credit, then. At the very least, he would spare her from an angry rant about endangering the girl he couldn’t live without. But there was something else he was overlooking, something obvious that he was missing…

“Wait,” he said sharply. “She said I was supposed to die earlier today?”

Katara nodded, her eyes squeezing shut as if to steady herself.

“So, is that why you were so upset back then? Because she told you that I was going to…?”

She nodded again glumly.

His mind began to race, and he settled back against the pillows, staring up at the paneled ceiling in contemplation. It wasn’t every day that one learned they had actually cheated Death, after all.

Granted, he had known it was a definite possibility the moment he agreed to his sister’s challenge. Yet there was a massive difference between suspecting it was his time to die and knowing it was coming outright.

“But why did… why would she tell you something like that?” Zuko asked, gazing up at Katara in confusion. “Wouldn’t that directly alter the future? I thought the fortuneteller was only supposed to show you different paths you could take, not change the outcome itself?”

The blue-eyed girl grinned with a strange combination of smugness and sheepishness.

“Well… once I found out that you were supposed to die today, I threatened and begged her to tell me what was going to happen so I could put a stop to it.”

He stared at her, tilting his head.

“Why would you do that?” he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse. “You’re the biggest believer in fulfilling destinies and fortunetelling, even more than me. Why would you try to change the ending like that, much less threaten her into helping you?”

Katara smiled then, her hand slowly venturing over until it covered his, her other still healing his chest. 

“Because I care about you,” she explained quietly. “I just want you to be safe and happy, no matter where life takes you… that’s why I didn’t hesitate when you asked me to join you. I knew I had to save you, no matter what.”

His heart pounded against his chest as she glanced away, her cheeks flushing. 

“So let me get this straight,” he said, swallowing his nerves down. “You were willing to defy fate itself, just for my sake? Katara, I -”

“That’s right,” she said with a curt nod of her head, sapphire eyes boring into gold. “I will every single time if it’s going to save you, and I dare any higher power to try to stop me.”

… _she will love you just as fiercely as you love her_ …

Zuko’s head was spinning as he tried to absorb all of this, hoping against hope for some reason. He swallowed thickly, trying to summon up some semblance of a reply that didn’t make him sound utterly stupid.

“Why would you do that?” he finally asked in barely above a whisper. “Why would you do something like that for me?”

If Katara thought he was being thick, she didn’t show it. Instead, she smiled and squeezed his hand with hers.

“Because you’re worth changing my destiny for,” she breathed. “Always, no matter what the cost.” 

~*~*~

All he could do was stare at her, hardly daring to breathe.

She gave his hand a comforting squeeze and let go, returning hers back to the disc of water pulsating into his chest. The wound was still sore but had already improved considerably since this healing session started.

Katara was saying something else, although he couldn’t concentrate on the words at the moment, and they soon were drowned out by a mantra in his head.

 _I have to tell her_ , he thought to himself. _It’s now or never. Even if she rejects me, I’ll hate myself forever if I don’t_.

He waited until she reached a stopping point, then he swallowed louder than he meant to.

“So… do you still want to know what Aunt Wu told me when I first visited her all those months ago?” Zuko asked, trying to sound nonchalant and not like his heart was about to implode.

She perked up at that.

“Oh? You’re finally going to spill that deep, dark secret?”

He closed his eyes, gathering every ounce of his courage to continue. Jumping in front of the lightning, knowing full well that it could kill him, had been the easy part.

This, however?

Now _this_ was terrifying.

“Remember how she predicted that you were going to marry a powerful bender?” he asked, unsure of exactly how he wanted to proceed. “Well… let’s just say you’re not the only one who got romantic advice from Aunt Wu.”

A grin broke out over Katara’s face.

“You’re _kidding_ me.”

“I promise you, I’m not.”

She burst into giggles, and he couldn’t help but smile weakly at the sound.

“I can’t believe you didn’t want to share that the other night with the rest of us!” she said. “You and the others got to hear what my prediction was. You should’ve shared yours!”

Zuko rolled his eyes.

“What and listen to your brother and Toph mock me?” he retorted – it was half the reason why he’d remained silent, so _technically_ not a lie. “Sorry, but I’ll have to pass on that one.”

“Fair enough,” she conceded, focusing on the healing waters once more. “So what did Aunt Wu tell you back then that you didn’t want to say in front of everyone?”

He pushed himself back up to a half-sitting, half-reclining position against the pillows, deciding that if this was going to be his epic declaration of love, he shouldn’t be sprawled out and looking helpless.

Especially if she shot him down… but he couldn’t let himself think like that.

 _Just breathe_ , he thought, _just tell her_.

“Well… I…” he began, clenching his eyes closed. Why was this so difficult? “She, um, also told me about the person I was going to marry someday.”

Katara raised an eyebrow, her gaze flickering over to his wide golden eyes for the briefest of moments before it returned to the scar on his chest.

“Oh really?” she asked, and was it his imagination, or did her voice go up an octave?

He nodded, and his breathing grew heavier.

“Yeah, apparently there were two different outcomes based on the choices I made, so two different women -” 

“So you can have that harem after all?” she quipped. “The Fire Lord gets a lady on each arm?”

Zuko let out a frustrated growl as she stifled a laugh.

“You’re terrible, you know that?”

“Couldn’t resist, Sifu Hotman. But please go on.”

He considered drawing it out even more as payback, except that his heart felt like it was about to pound out of his chest if he didn’t just get on with it already.

“Anyways, as I was saying, there was a different outcome with a different woman in each, depending on the path I took… but only one of them would be the love of my life.”

She was silent for a moment, taking this information in.

Meanwhile he studied her, his eyes crinkling up in a tender smile as she pretended to be less intrigued than she actually was.

“So, um… do you have any guesses who they’d be?” she asked nervously.

He did, actually. In fact, he’d be willing to bet money on the identities of both.

“I think Mai was one…” he began.

Then he paused, noticing the frown overtaking Katara’s features. Wait, was she jealous? That wouldn’t do at all.

“… but I don’t think that she’s supposed to be the love of my life,” he added quickly, noting how her brow lifted and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I mean, I cared about her and we’d be happy enough together, but it wouldn’t be a great romance.”

Katara’s eyes met his again at those last two words, and she almost sounded nervous when she asked him if he’d figured out the other one yet.

He smiled and carefully placed a hand over one of hers, still positioned over his chest.

“You’d like her,” Zuko said tenderly. “She’s kind but stands up for those in need, and she’s smart – I feel like I could spend years listening to her talk and still find something new to learn from her. Not to mention she’s pretty – unbelievably pretty – and she makes me want to spend the rest of my days becoming a better man to prove I’m worthy enough for her.”

He took a shaky breath and continued, feeling light-headed.

“Aunt Wu also predicted that this girl would help me rise from the ashes someday, and that I’d be willing to give up everything for her sake if I had to… my throne, my birthright as prince, even my own life… which I think I actually did earlier today…”

His grip tightened around her fingertips for a moment, and she looked just as breathless as he felt. Katara nodded, a hopeful smile spreading across her face, and she seemed to light up as he forced himself not to close his eyes out of fear, to be brave.

“… and that she would capture my heart entirely,” he finished, swallowing nervously. “… which you have…”

There were no words that could accurately describe the joy on her face, the relief, that beautiful smile just for him.

“Katara, I -”

But he never found out what he was going to say next, because two things happened at once.

His arms were suddenly full of her as she somehow threw herself into his embrace. Her soft lips pressed against his ruined cheek, her arms wrapped around his neck, and her fingers buried themselves in his hair like they belonged there.

And, oh, she felt like heaven. 

The second was that all of the healing water Katara had used on his chest suddenly found itself without a force to hold it up as her hands were otherwise occupied. Naturally, it followed the pull of gravity and he found himself with a sudden splash of cold water in his lap.

He let out a yelp and she immediately realized her mistake.

“Oh no, Zuko, I’m so sorry!” she apologized, her cheeks flushing. “I didn’t even… I’m so, so sorry!”

She pulled back and bended the cold water away, and he was dry once more. He shivered involuntarily, though, and it wasn’t just because of the sudden chill from moments ago.

Still, the tables had finally turned and he intended to take full advantage. For once, _he_ got to be the one doing the teasing.

“ _Agni_ , Katara, I pour my heart out for you and practically tell you that I love you, and yet you still found a way to bust my chops,” he grumbled, although a smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.

To her credit, she looked embarrassed even as she rolled her eyes before turning her head away to hide her mortification.

“Sorry, you’ll have to forgive me,” she said. “I was a little bit distracted by… wait.”

Her head whipped back around, and he felt like he could drown in those ocean blue eyes when they fixated on him.

“You _what_ now? Did you just say…?”

His mouth immediately became as dry as the Si Wong Desert, and she was still close enough to him that she definitely felt his heart hammering against his ribs.

Well, now he’d done it. No sense in denying it or trying to hide it.

Zuko closed his eyes and drew a ragged breath before he spoke again.

“I… I think I love you, Katara,” he confessed.

She said nothing, and he had thought her eyes couldn’t grow any wider or more beautiful. Apparently, he was wrong.

He gulped and realized he was still blabbering on, losing all control of his ability to stop talking.

“I’m not expecting you to feel the same way or anything in return, and I won’t be upset if you don’t,” he added, suddenly worried that she would feel obligated in some way. “I just knew that I’d hate myself forever if I didn’t say -”

Once again he was cut off, interrupted this time by the realization that her soft, pink lips were pressed against his.

And immediately, his brain short-circuited as his mind went blank, until the only thoughts left were consumed by her.

~*~*~

As far as first kisses went, this was not one that historians would have heralded as truly spectacular. It was not given during a particular ceremony or on the battlefield with adrenaline still coursing through both participants’ veins.

Poets and authors would have penned it as a brief line or two in their works, indicating that the two had finally discovered their mutual feelings for each other and sealed them with an altogether brief kiss.

Short and sweet, but nothing that necessarily inspired epics.

It was not one that the world would see and be dazzled by either, despite both participants’ turbulent history together and the long road they’d both taken to reach this point.

This was not the most passionate kiss they would share (those would come along later) or likely to make others swoon, but for them it was perfect and _theirs_ , broken mere moments later by blushing and giggles from both parties.

“Was that… was that okay?” he asked, his face turning scarlet even as he grinned.

She giggled and kissed his cheek.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?” she replied playfully. “I’m the one who kissed you, remember?”

Then she let out a squeal as he surged forward and his lips met hers once more. His mouth slanted against hers, and she practically melted under his warm hands as they palmed up her back and buried themselves into her hair, pulling her back down to him.

When they broke apart for a second time he didn’t even attempt to hide his smirk, especially upon seeing how breathless she was and how her mouth had followed his for a moment when he pulled back.

“So, was that okay?” he asked again, looking entirely too pleased with himself and tucking a hand under the back of his neck.

Fortunately, she knew just how to remedy his smugness, and he yelped as she poked at his sides until he was begging her to play nice. She finally stopped her tickling and settled down at his side.

“That was perfect,” she murmured, curling up against him and resting her head on his shoulder. “But I think you might need a lot more kisses, just to be safe. Rumor has it that you’ve got a temper, and that’s the only thing that will mellow you out.”

His arms wrapped around her and hugged her closer, as if he were afraid to let her go.

“In that case, maybe I should be a grump all the time if that’s what I’ll get in return,” he whispered, kissing her forehead. 

She rolled her eyes but giggled again as their lips met once more for the first of many times that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go before the end! I still can't believe this fic is almost over. Thank you all so much for your kinds words of encouragement along the way, especially back when this was nothing but a oneshot.


End file.
